Douglas Sanderson

Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii) was managing editor of the inaugural edition of the Indigenous Law Journal in 2002 while a student in the JD program.  He went on to get his LL.M from Columbia University as a Fulbright Scholar. Prof. Sanderson is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, and he has been deeply engaged in Aboriginal issues from a policy perspective. From 2004-2007 he was a Senior Advisor to the Government of Ontario, first in the Office of the Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, and later, to the Attorney General.

Prof. Sanderson's research areas include Aboriginal and Indigenous legal theory, as well as private law (primarily property law) and public and private legal theory. His work uses the lens of material culture and property theory to examine the nature of historic injustice to Indigenous peoples and possible avenues for redress. Moving beyond the framework of common law property rights and constitutional land/treaty rights, his scholarship focuses on Aboriginal institutions, post-colonial reconciliation and rebuilding community.  Professor Sanderson's current research interests include the Peace and Friendship Treaties (1600-1763) and the Fur Trade in Canada.

Valley of the Birdtail, a book of narrative non-fiction, and co-authored with former student, will be published by Harper Collins in the fall of 2022.