Revitalizing Indigenous law with the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance: Legal Traditions of the Peoples of the Lower Fraser
This legal synthesis and its summary consolidate the year-long learning of what stories, both sxwōxwiyám/ sx̌ʷəx̌ʷəyém (‘stories of the distant past’ or ‘tell stories’) and sqwélqwel/ sqʷelqʷəl (‘true news’ or ‘oral stories’), and Elders' knowledge teach us about Indigenous laws related to watershed management and fisheries governance in the Lower Fraser. The LFFA-RELAW team met with over 60 knowledge holders, fishers, and community members from Lower Fraser First Nation communities in 2019 and wrote the legal synthesis over 2020-21.
This Summary and its accompanying Volumes were formatted by istolo.net's Francine Douglas and Sharone Desnomie from Sts'ailes. The beautiful artwork was created by Ocean Hyland, from Tsleil-waututh and Cheam.
To learn more about the process of weaving this legal synthesis together, see this blog from the LFFA-RELAW Team's experience.
About the LFFA-RELAW Team
The LFFA-RELAW Team have been working together since the end of 2018. The LFFA community guide, Leah Ballantyne, Mikisew Iskwew, is Nehithaw ota from Pukatawagan/Highrock in Treaty 6 Territory, northern Manitoba. She is a lawyer and lives in Sts’ailes territory, Harrison Hot Springs; and two West Coast lawyers (RELAWyers), Rayanna Seymour-Hourie, who is Anishinaabe from Anishinaabeg of Naongashiing, Treaty 3 Territory in Ontario; and Jessica Clogg is a settler who grew up in Mission, British Columbia. Both live in Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-waututh Territories in Vancouver.
Summary Report
Volume 1: Foundational Principles
Volume 2: Legal Processes and Decision-making
