Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
ICT<\/p>\n
Around the world: First Nations in Canada advance rights through landmark court victories; an Aboriginal corporation in Australia says \u201chand-picked\u201d cultural expert is biased; and M\u0101ori language is hailed globally as a blueprint for revitalization efforts.<\/p>\n
CANADA: Indigenous Nations applaud court victories<\/p>\n
Wet\u2019suwet\u2019en hereditary Chief Smogelgem, also known as Warner Naziel, recalls sitting as a young man with his best friend and his best friend\u2019s mother during meetings on the historic Delgamuukw case in the 1990s. \u201cSit down and listen because this is history unfolding,\u201d he remembers being told, CBC<\/a> News reported on August 29.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Gitxsan and Wet\u2019suwet\u2019en 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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n One of those breakthroughs came in 2014, when the Supreme Court recognized the T\u015dilhqot\u2019in Nation\u2019s 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\u2019esqox Chief Francis Laceese, a longtime leader, emphasizes that Indigenous nations always held title, but the decision provided legal recognition. The T\u015dilhqot\u2019in victory, he notes, inspired others worldwide, from the M\u0101ori in New Zealand to the S\u00e1mi in Europe, to defend their lands.<\/p>\n That global inspiration resurfaced this year when the Cowichan Nation won a title case over land in Richmond, British Columbia. The ruling \u2013 Canada\u2019s longest trial at 513 days \u2013 marked only the second time Aboriginal title was legally confirmed beyond reserves. The T\u015dilhqot\u2019in National Government congratulated Cowichan leaders, stressing that such victories extend not only to land but also to waters and traditional ways of life.<\/p>\n Yet recognition is never without resistance. British Columbia\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n These cases \u2013 Delgamuukw, T\u015dilhqot\u2019in, and now Cowichan \u2013 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 T\u015dilhqot\u2019in, which itself built on Delgamuukw, which drew from earlier Calder and Sparrow cases. Each adds momentum to the broader recognition of Indigenous sovereignty.<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 and will \u2013 define their future through persistence in courts and beyond.<\/p>\n From Wet\u2019suwet\u2019en and Gitxsan to T\u015dilhqot\u2019in and Cowichan, British Columbia\u2019s Indigenous nations have carved a legal path that reverberates across continents, advancing justice, sovereignty and the global struggle for Indigenous rights.<\/p>\n AUSTRALIA: Aboriginal corporation slams \u2018hand-picked\u2019 heritage review<\/p>\n