Canada: Indigenous land rights in court

From - Nuchatlaht First Nation: How a Legal Battle Could Change Land Rights for Good Indigenous groups have been fighting for land for decades, often with disappointing results

by Troy Sebastian / Nupqu ʔa·kǂ am̓
Illustration by bailey macabre / Cedar Sage Skoden 
Updated 10:26, Feb. 13, 2023 | Published 6:30, Feb. 13, 2023 

Robed figures entered the room in silence and took their seats on the dais at the Supreme Court of Canada in regal movements. Lawyers fidgeted as our delegation of Ktunaxa elders, leaders, and youth packed into a stockade-like public gallery. The hour was early, but it felt as though the day had already passed. This was the place to be, and yet it was not the location where justice was found.

Will a request for a Declaration of Aboriginal Title prevail?

Universities and Museums start to return Native American artifacts and remains.

Dozens of Museums and Universities Pledge to Return Native American Remains. Few Have Funded the Effort. Reporting from nearly 50 local newsrooms, based on ProPublica’s “Repatriation Project,” has sparked a wave of apologies and commitment to returning ancestral remains. But without funding for the work tribal nations could still face empty promises.

https://www.propublica.org/article/museums-universities-pledge-to-return-native-american-remains and the Repatriation Project, https://www.propublica.org/series/the-repatriation-project.

Canada, Australia, and Mexico, address Indigenous issues before the United Nations Human Rights Council

https://www.ohchr.org/en/news/2023/03/human-rights-council-hears-16-dignitaries-it-continues-its-high-level-segment

Re-forestation using local resources in Kenya

Using charcoal seedballs in Kenya to replant local forests. Charcoal-coated seedballs are re-planting Kenya’s lost forests. A method that could be utilised by other communities facing def0restation.

Nansemond tribe gets back 500 acres of tribal land

History was marked in a quiet ceremony at the Tribal Center overlooking the Nansemond River on a glorious fall day. It was emotional for the Tribe and donors.

"What an amazing day for the Nansemond Tribe," Dominion Energy Tribal Relations Manager Ken Custalow said as he choked up. Custalow is a member of the Chickahominy Indians Eastern Division Tribe and affiliated with the Mattaponi Tribe. "Congratulations on the return of part of your homelands. This is a great day for you as well as Virginia and the national Native community and for me personally." Continued here: Nansemond get back tribal land

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

The UN celebrated the 2022 International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on 9 August 2022. This year's theme was The role of indigenous women in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge See the link above for more information.

Indigenous Rights in Canada

From the US Library of Congress: FALQs: The Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement Act; The Indian Act; and the UNDRIP:

A brief review of Indigenous Rights in Canada.

New bill for Alaska Native Education

https://nativenewsonline.net/education/a-proposed-tribal-education-compacting-bill-could-overhaul-education-for-alaska-natives

Finland establishes the Sami Truth and Reconciiation Commission

From the US Library of Congress:

Finland: Sami Truth and Reconciliation Commission Established

On October 28, 2021, the Finnish government established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address the historical treatment of the indigenous Sami population and promote the attainment of the Sami people’s rights.

Finnish law recognizes the Sami people as indigenous to Finland, and the Finnish Constitution affords them protection as a native people. (17 § Finlands Grundlag (FFS 11.6.1999/731).) Thus, the Sami people have a right to exercise their culture and language. The Sami people’s right to use its language is further regulated in the Sami Language Act (Samisk språklag (FFS 15.12.2003/1086)), whereas the Sami Parliament Act (Sametingslag (FFS 17.7.1995/974)) provides for the establishment of a Sami Parliament and specifies that the Sami, because of their status as indigenous, “shall be guaranteed cultural autonomy within their home area in matters concerning their language and culture. For the management of matters belonging to the cultural autonomy, the ‘Sami’ shall, by elections conducted among them, elect a Sami parliament.” (1 § Sametingslagen.)

Continued: https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2021-11-18/finland-sami-truth-and-reconciliation-commission-established/

American Indian Tribal Law projects

A blog post from the Foreign and Comparative Law section of the American Association of Law Libraries reviews some efforts to collect and publish tribal law statutes, legislation, and court decisions in the USA.AALL 2021 Recap: Sovereignty, Native America, and Legal Culture: Why Accessing and Understanding Tribal Law Just Became More Important