Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
ICT
Around the world: First Nations in Canada advance rights through landmark court victories; an Aboriginal corporation in Australia says “hand-picked” cultural expert is biased; and Māori language is hailed globally as a blueprint for revitalization efforts.
CANADA: Indigenous Nations applaud court victories
Wet’suwet’en hereditary Chief Smogelgem, also known as Warner Naziel, recalls sitting as a young man with his best friend and his best friend’s mother during meetings on the historic Delgamuukw case in the 1990s. “Sit down and listen because this is history unfolding,” he remembers being told, CBC News reported on August 29.
The Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en Nations launched that case together, seeking recognition of rights and title over 58,000 square kilometres of northwestern British Columbia. Their claim went beyond resource extraction – it was about legal ownership, stewardship and jurisdiction over their land. In December 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a landmark ruling: Indigenous peoples hold rights to the land itself, and oral testimony is valid evidence in Canadian courts. Although the case did not grant full Aboriginal title, it paved the way for future breakthroughs.
One of those breakthroughs came in 2014, when the Supreme Court recognized the Tŝilhqot’in Nation’s title to 4,400 square kilometres near Williams Lake. The ruling was the first in Canadian history to confirm Aboriginal title outside of a reserve. Tl’esqox Chief Francis Laceese, a longtime leader, emphasizes that Indigenous nations always held title, but the decision provided legal recognition. The Tŝilhqot’in victory, he notes, inspired others worldwide, from the Māori in New Zealand to the Sámi in Europe, to defend their lands.
That global inspiration resurfaced this year when the Cowichan Nation won a title case over land in Richmond, British Columbia. The ruling – Canada’s longest trial at 513 days – marked only the second time Aboriginal title was legally confirmed beyond reserves. The Tŝilhqot’in National Government congratulated Cowichan leaders, stressing that such victories extend not only to land but also to waters and traditional ways of life.
Yet recognition is never without resistance. British Columbia’s attorney general is appealing the Cowichan decision, and nearby Musqueam and Tsawwassen Nations are reviewing legal opposition, arguing overlapping territorial claims. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs condemned attempts to frame the ruling as a threat to private property, warning such rhetoric unfairly scapegoats First Nations.
These cases – Delgamuukw, Tŝilhqot’in, and now Cowichan – form a lineage of Indigenous legal victories that strengthen rights across Canada and inspire movements abroad. They demonstrate how Indigenous nations learn from one another: the Cowichan decision builds on Tŝilhqot’in, which itself built on Delgamuukw, which drew from earlier Calder and Sparrow cases. Each adds momentum to the broader recognition of Indigenous sovereignty.
For leaders like Laceese, the meaning of these rulings goes beyond legal precedent. They signal restored access to foods, medicines and cultural practices tied to the land. They affirm that Indigenous nations remain stewards of territories long before colonial borders. And they remind the world that Indigenous peoples can – and will – define their future through persistence in courts and beyond.
From Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan to Tŝilhqot’in and Cowichan, British Columbia’s Indigenous nations have carved a legal path that reverberates across continents, advancing justice, sovereignty and the global struggle for Indigenous rights.
AUSTRALIA: Aboriginal corporation slams ‘hand-picked’ heritage review
Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation says a mining company has engaged a “hand-picked” third party to reassess cultural heritage on Eastern Guruma Country – without consulting the body that holds native title on behalf of Traditional Owners, National Indigenous Times reported on August 27.
Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation and Muntulgura Guruma Traditional Owners raised the alarm after Equinox Resources told the ASX it had hired the Judih Judih Aboriginal Corporation to conduct a heritage assessment for its Hamersley Iron Ore Project near Tom Price in WA’s eastern Pilbara.
In a statement, Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation rejected Equinox’s claim the review is “independent,” saying Judih Judih “has been hand-picked by Equinox without any consultation with (Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation).” The corporation says its 2014 Native Title Agreement with the company “does not contemplate the engagement of heritage assessments by third parties without consultation with (Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation).” The obligation, they add, is clear: “Under the Native Title Agreement, Equinox is required to undertake Heritage Assessments of Muntulguru Guruma sites with (Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation), not any other persons or groups.”
WGAC says it conducted a heritage assessment with Equinox’s agreement in 2023, but “Equinox was not satisfied with the outcome.” The corporation alleges the company is “‘opinion shopping’ to find a heritage assessment that fits its project rather than following the advice from (Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation) and the decision of State Government heritage regulator.”
The dispute sits amid ongoing legal processes. The corporation notes Equinox “appealed the Minister’s section 18 decision to the Supreme Court, and the hearing is on 26 September 2025.” Separately, they say the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear another matter on 26 September 2026, while a State Administrative Tribunal proceeding is not yet listed. Meanwhile, “more than 20,000 people have signed a petition urging the government to say no to the project,” which sits in the foothills of Karijini National Park, adjacent to Hamersley Gorge.
Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation represents 165 native title members and says it has a binding agreement with Equinox. “There is no process under the agreement for Equinox to engage individual (corporation) members directly without (Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation’s) consent, in relation to heritage management,” the group states. Two sites reported through the corporation’s 2023 assessment were “entered into the Register of Aboriginal Sites” after a statutory review by the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Committee in October 2024. “Rather than… engaging with (Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation) about the preservation of these two important cultural sites, Equinox chose to apply for a consent to damage these two sites in 2024. The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Committee and the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs said no … in October 2024.”
Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation says Equinox has now engaged Judih Judih to “reassess the importance of the two sites without the involvement of the other 164 (corporation) members,” noting the corporation “is run by one Muntulgura Guruma native title holder” and “has just nine members drawn from neighbouring native title corporations and non-Aboriginal people.” “They do not represent the Munutalgura Guruma people and are not in any position to provide a so-called independent heritage assessment,” a corporation spokesperson said.
“(Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation) is shocked and appalled that this junior exploration company is sowing division,” the statement continues. Equinox “simply does not seem to care about our concerns and has hired expensive Perth lawyers to browbeat and frighten our Elders into submission rather than talking and trying to seek compromise.” The corporation adds: “Not only does Equinox seem to be attacking the native title holders … it is also showing a complete lack of regard for the ongoing judicial process that they themselves instigated.”
NEW ZEALAND: Māori language hailed as revitalization blueprint
Te reo Māori was celebrated on the world stage as Aotearoa’s language journey was showcased as a “blueprint” for revitalization at Canada’s first-ever Indigenous Languages Summit, RNZ news reported on August 28.
Nearly 3,000 advocates gathered in Ottawa for the Waves 2025 forum, including Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori chair and commissioner Rawinia Higgins, who reflected on the long road since the 1972 Māori language petition.
“When a language is visible, audible, and embraced in public life, it connects with not only its Indigenous speakers but all citizens. Language is a bridge, not a barrier,” Higgins said. She described the summit as both a recognition of progress and a reminder of how much work remains. “Sometimes when you’re in the thick of it, you forget to look up and see where the horizon is.”
While te reo Māori gained official status in 1987, Canada’s Indigenous languages only became legally recognized in 2019. Higgins stressed that sharing Aotearoa’s lessons was part of collective responsibility: “If we can fast track others and bring them up to where we’re at, I always think it’s a key responsibility.”
Her message to the summit – “Not today, coloniser” – referenced the legacy of Canada’s residential schools and became a rallying cry among participants resisting language suppression. “It provided a platform to say: how do we come together and push back against resistance towards our respective languages?” Higgins explained.
But even as Aotearoa was being honoured abroad, Higgins was dismayed by developments at home. She cited reports of Māori words being stripped from early reading books, calling it “modern-day colonisation.” “To actively strip kupu Māori from educational materials is to deny tamariki the benefits of linguistic diversity and undermine the very essence of who we are,” she said. “Te reo Māori is that defining feature of who we are. It gives us our distinctiveness in the globe, everywhere we go.”
Despite political pushback, Higgins remains hopeful, pointing to the growing enthusiasm of young people: “One of the magical things that I’ve noticed over the last couple of years, despite the political pushback, people still love te reo, and they still want to have access to the reo. Tamariki and mokopuna don’t see it as an issue, because they’ve grown up exposed to the reo – and that’s where the future sits.”
The summit, organised around the kaupapa of land, technology, and community, featured a diverse array of participants: artists, rangatahi, academics, social media influencers, actors, poets, gamers, and musicians. “It was real heartening to see just how enthusiastic and innovative communities are,” Higgins said. “Everyone has a role, and that’s a message we need to remember here at home too.”
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, first held in 1975 after the historic petition was presented to Parliament. With the theme “Ake, Ake, Ake – A forever language,” Higgins urged New Zealanders to honour those who fought for the reo and to think boldly about its future: “Let us continue to speak boldly, challenge colonial acts of the past and present, and ensure that our languages are not only preserved but celebrated.”
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are across Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where recent developments reveal the power and persistence of Indigenous communities in protecting heritage, land and language.
Though each story unfolds in a different place, together they show a global pattern of Indigenous peoples advancing rights, resisting erasure, and shaping futures.
In Canada, the line of landmark court cases – Delgamuukw, Tŝilhqot’in and now Cowichan – illustrates how Indigenous nations are carving out space in legal systems historically designed to exclude them. These rulings confirm not only the existence of Aboriginal title but also the legitimacy of oral testimony and Indigenous stewardship.
Each case builds on the last, creating a lineage of victories that inspire Indigenous movements worldwide. As Francis Laceese of the Tŝilhqot’in observed, “All nations have title, it’s achievable.” The courtroom becomes a battlefield of persistence, where every decision strengthens the foundation for the next generation.
In Western Australia, the struggle takes a sharper tone. The Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation’s accusations against Equinox Resources – of “opinion shopping” and sowing division – expose the continuing tension between extractive industries and Indigenous custodianship of sacred country. Here, the fight is not about gaining recognition from courts but about enforcing agreements already in place. The language used by Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation – “shocked and appalled,” “browbeat our Elders” – captures a community’s frustration at being bypassed in decisions that strike at the heart of cultural survival. This highlights how recognition on paper means little without accountability in practice.
Meanwhile, in Aotearoa, the story of te reo Māori’s international celebration offers a contrasting note of renewal. Rawinia Higgins’ rallying cry – “Not today, coloniser” – resonated globally, affirming that language is both a cultural vessel and a weapon of resistance. Yet her alarm at the removal of Māori words from schoolbooks reminds us that revival is fragile, contested and constantly tested. The summit’s theme, that “language is a bridge, not a barrier,” sits as a hopeful counterpoint to the battles unfolding elsewhere.
Together, these stories form a mosaic of Indigenous resilience. Whether in courtrooms, corporate disputes, or classrooms, Indigenous peoples continue to insist on voice, sovereignty and survival. The lesson is clear: Victories may be partial and setbacks frequent, but the momentum of Indigenous resurgence is irreversible.
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