Wahkohtowin
"Wahkohtowin means "everything is related." It is one of the basic principles of Cree Natural Law passed through language, song, prayer, and storytelling."
Voices of the Land, Wahkohtowin - Cree Natural Law
*** This guide includes resources for many different Cree nations and related nations - be cognizant of which nation(s) you are researching. See the sidebar for a list of specific Cree nations. ***
Traditional Governance Interviews
This is an interview with Nêhiyawak Elder Barry Ahenakew about Nêhiyaw traditional governance. Students at FNUniv followed traditional protocols to invite Elders and Knowledge Holders to participate in video interviews about Indigenous governance. These interviews were conducted by the National Centre for Collaboration on Indigenous Education (NCCIE), the First Nations University of Canada, and the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.
- "Jimmy Myo is speaking an old, ceremonial dialect of Cree. Many of the words and phrases below have more than one meaning. Please refer to this list as you listen to Mr. Myo speak. Consider the explanations as a launching point for discussion of the different layers of meaning for these words and phrases."
Theses
- Okâwîmâwaskiy : regenerating a wholistic ethicsBy Katherine Walker. PhD Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2021.
- Tapwetamowin: Cree Spirituality and Law for Self-GovernanceBy Jennie Wastesicoot. Doctoral thesis, University of Manitoba, 2014.
- E-Kawôtiniket 1876: Reclaiming Nêhiyaw Governance in the Territory of Maskwacîs Through Wâhkôtowin (Kinship)By Paulina R. Johnson. PhD Thesis, University of Western Ontario, 2017.
- Teachings from Cree elders: A grounded theory study of indigenous leadershipBy Leona Josephine Makokis. PhD thesis, University of San Diego, 2001
- A cultural framework for Cree self-government : retracing our steps backBy Jennie Wastesicoot. Masters thesis, University of Manitoba, 2004.
- Nêhiyaw Âskiy Wiyasiwêwina: Plains Cree Earth Law and constitutional/ecological reconciliationBy Darcy Lindberg. Dissertation, University of Victoria, 2020.
- Miyo wahkotowin: self-determination, colonialism and pre-reserve Nehiyaw forms of powerBy Matthew Wildcat. Dissertation, UVic, 2010.
Books
Cree narrative memory : from treaties to contemporary times by Call Number: YO M35 C74 2007ISBN: 9781895830316Publication Date: 2007
Gender, Power, and Representations of Cree Law by Call Number: PW S69 G46 2018ISBN: 9780774835688Publication Date: 2018Drawing on the insights of Indigenous feminist legal theory, Emily Snyder examines representations of Cree law and gender in books, videos, graphic novels, educational websites, online lectures, and a video game. Although these resources promote the revitalization of Cree law and the principle of miyo-wîcêhtowin (good relations), Snyder argues that they do not capture the complexities of gendered power relations. The majority of these resources either erase women's legal authority by not mentioning them, or they diminish their agency by portraying Cree laws and gender roles in inflexible, aesthetically pleasing ways that overlook power imbalances and other forms of oppression.
Nationhood Interrupted: revitalizing Nêhiyaw legal systems by Call Number: H M33 N38 2015ISBN: 9781895830804Publication Date: 2015Traditionally, nêhiyaw (Cree) laws are shared and passed down through oral customs -- stories, songs, ceremonies -- using lands, waters, animals, land markings and other sacred rites. However, the loss of the languages, customs, and traditions of Indigenous peoples as a direct result of colonization has necessitated this departure from the oral tradition to record the physical laws of the nêhiyaw. McAdam, a co-founder of the international movement Idle No More, shares nêhiyaw laws so that future generations, both nêhiyaw and non-Indigenous people, may understand and live by them to revitalize Indigenous nationhood.- Swampy Cree justice: researching the ways of the people byCall Number: H H35 S83 2019Publication Date: 2019"The major purpose of this book was to develop understanding of an Omushkegowuk model of justice that may be shared by many other Indigenous people."
- Cree restorative justice : from the ancient to the present byCall Number: E99.C88 H35 2009Publication Date: 2009
Caring for Eeyou Istchee: protected area creation on Wemindji Cree territory by Call Number: NAA M85 C37 2019ISBN: 9780774838580Publication Date: 2019How do Indigenous communities in Canada balance the development needs of a growing population while maintaining cultural commitments and responsibilities as stewards of their lands and waters? Caring for Eeyou Istchee recounts the extraordinary experience of the James Bay Cree community of Wemindji, Quebec, who partnered with a multi-disciplinary research team to protect territory of great cultural significance in ways that respect community needs and circumstances.
Articles
- Learning the Language of the River: Understanding Indigenous Water Governance with O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation, Northern Manitoba, Canada byPublication Date: 2018"Through consideration of Kistihtamahwin, OPCN’s concept of water governance, as well as the promises made in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), this article argues that the lack of meaningful consultation and engagement with local resource users as well as the concept of Kistihtamahwin has led to the destruction of a successful fishery."
- Awawanenitakik: The spatial politics of recognition and relational geographies of Indigenous self-determination byPublication Date: 2016The Canadian Geographer, 06/2016, Volume 60, Issue 2
Film and Video
"This documentary focuses on the goose hunt, a ritual of central importance to the Cree people of the James Bay coastal areas. Not only a source of food, the hunt is also used to transfer Cree culture, skills, and ethics to future generations. Filmmaker Paul M. Rickard invites us along with his own family on a fall goose hunt, so that we can share in the experience."
Discussions by four Cree Elders; George Brertton, Fred Campiou, Isaac Chamakese and William Dreaver, give insight into the differences between Canadian law and Cree Natural Law and why Natural Law is needed in contemporary society.