Dear students, staff and faculty:
As many of you know, I joined the Faculty of Law as the Aboriginal Law Program (ALP) Coordinator in mid-September, 2016. I am also a graduate of the JD program, 2012. I am thrilled to be back and am very excited about the work I get to do. I am writing today to tell you about our plan to rename the Aboriginal Law Program.
The Indigenous Initiatives Office and a note on language:
As you have likely noticed, in recent years there has been a shift away from using Aboriginal and towards using Indigenous. For instance, the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres is now the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, Ontario’s Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs is now the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada is now Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. While many individuals, organizations and communities have different opinions and preferences around language, below I offer my two cents.
The term Aboriginal to describe First Nation, Inuit or Métis people is at best outdated and at worst offensive. The best language one can use to describe an individual or group is that the individual or group itself prefers. For instance, if you are speaking about people from Six Nations of the Grand River, you should name their nation – Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga or Tuscarora – or use Haudenosaunee which is a term that includes all six of the Nations that confederated under the Great Tree of Peace. Haudenosaunee means people of the long house.
If you are unsure what community a person is from or there is a mixed group of people, use the term Indigenous. It is generally accepted that Indigenous is inclusive of First Nation, Inuit and Métis. If you can, ask an Indigenous person what their preferred nomenclature is. (FYI, I am very proud to be Métis!)
The term Aboriginal law is an umbrella term which covers various areas of Canadian colonial law that relate to Indigenous peoples in Canada. For instance, section 35 rights and the duty to consult are areas of Aboriginal law. The terms Aboriginal law and Indigenous law are not interchangeable. Indigenous laws are Indigenous peoples’ own laws. Indigenous laws have existed since time immemorial, are dynamic, and continue to exist in spite of the cultural genocide perpetrated on Indigenous peoples by Canadian and other colonial governments. Awareness of these legal traditions, and a growing acceptance of the fact we are living in a multi-jurisdictional country, have contributed to a resurgence of and growing interest in Indigenous law. The law school is committed to providing students with opportunities to learn about and respectfully engage with Indigenous law. We believe all Canadians can benefit from these rich intellectual legal traditions.
In keeping with the above, the Aboriginal Law Program will now be called the Indigenous Initiatives Office and the Aboriginal Law Program Coordinator will be the Manager, Indigenous Initiatives. The Aboriginal Law Students’ Association is also changing its name to the Indigenous Law Students’ Association. Expect to see these changes reflected in promotional materials and on our website and social media in the coming weeks.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Marsee! (Michif for “thank you”).
Amanda
Amanda Carling
Manager, Indigenous Initiatives
amanda.carling@utoronto.ca
