The head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set the tone for the “Aboriginal Peoples and Law: We Are All Here to Stay” conference in Saskatoon in his speech on Wednesday.
Justice Murray Sinclair explained the concepts Indigenous law and debunked myths, while speaking to hundreds of judges, lawyers and justice workers.
He touched on the Seven Teachings: honesty, humility, respect, courage, wisdom, truth, and love. Sinclair compared them to the Bible’s 10 Commandments.
Sinclair said contrary to popular belief, Indigenous people do have a concept for owning property.
“I’ve always chafed a bit at the dominant theory that is held by white legal authorities who say that Indians have no knowledge, no tradition of owning property, to which I’ve always wanted to say out loud, ‘bull ****’ because the reality is that, you own things,” Sinclair said, getting a warm laugh from his audience.
“You owned the things that you had earned.”
Sinclair explained there is lack of understanding of Indigenous ownership because it hasn’t been studied in the legal profession.
Instead, the teachings are shared through oral history. One example Sinclair shared was a song that is sung at the Sunrise Ceremony that reinforces respect for women, the beauty of nature, and what the Creator has provided.
The concept of Indigenous lawmaking finding its roots in First Nations teachings is a common thread at the conference.
Delegates were told an Ojibway legend, about how the Trickster, Nanabush, was caught stealing food because he was too lazy to get his own.
University of Victoria professor, John Borrows, said stories and legends can be used to reason and make decisions about how we guide our lives.
“I saw laws about attempted fraud, I saw laws about stealing, I saw laws about watching over – as those chickadees did – that there’s checks and balances that we need to have in our governance, it can’t just be one person alone that does it,” Borrows said.
The conference continues on Thursday and wraps up on Friday.