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Xwi7xwa Library Guide
Indigenous Land Based Activism Research Guide QR Code
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Overview
This research guide is intended for students and faculty to use and locate resources to help their understanding of the complexities surrounding Indigenous spatial and land based activism.
It complements the following existing guides:
- ENGL 231: Introduction to Indigenous Literatures
- First Nations and Indigenous Studies
- Xwi7xwa Research Guides
- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls
This guide focuses specifically on strategies for researching contemporary Indigenous struggles over spatial justice.
Because grassroots struggles for justice are not always well represented within academic literature, this guide provides additional research strategies, including tips for navigating news and social media.
Featured Resource
- 'We Still Have Title': How a Landmark B.C. Court Case Set the Stage for Wet'suwet'en Protests"Amid the backdrop of nationwide protests, blockades and arrests, Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs on the front lines of the fight to stop a pipeline in their traditional territories are pointing to a Supreme Court case from the 1990s that underscores their authority over the land."
- April 9, 2020 Wet’suwet’en Virtual Teach-In at UBCDuring a time of separation and social distancing, join us for an opportunity to gather together for a virtual teach-in on the legal foundations of Wet’suwet’en Title and Rights and the treatment of the Wet’suwet’en land defenders and supporters in the media as a result of recent state actions taken against them. Resouces from the Teach In are available at the bottom of the link.
- Eagle Down is Our Law: Wit'suwit'en Law, Feasts, and Land Claims by Antonia MillsEagle Down Is Our Law is about the struggle of the Wit'suwit'en peoples to establish the meaning of aboriginal rights. With the neighbouring Gitksan, the Wit'suwit'en launched a major land claims court case asking for the ownership and jurisdiction of 55,000 square kilometers of land in north-central British Columbia that they claim to have held since before the arrival of the Europeans. In conjunction with that court case, the Gitksan and Wit'suwit'en asked a number of expert witnesses, among them Antonia Mills, an anthropologist, to prepare reports on their behalf.
- The Fourth World: an Indian Reality by George Manuel & Michael PoslunsOriginally published in 1974 and updated in 2019, Manuel and Posluns presents a rich historical document that traces the struggle for Indigenous survival as a nation, a culture, and a reality.
- The Spirit in the Land: Statements of the Gitksan and Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs in the Supreme Court of British Columbia 1987 - 1990Citing historical evidence, this book covers the time period of Gitksan and Wet'suwet'en Houses and Hereditary Chiefs filed for recognition of land rights in the BC Supreme Court. Later, this case went to Canada's Supreme Court.
- UN Special Rapporteur - Situation of Human Rights DefendersSummary: The present report highlights the situation of environmental human rights defenders. In his report, the Special Rapporteur raises alarm about the increasing and intensifying violence against them. He makes recommendations to various stakeholders in order to reverse this worrying trend and to empower and protect those defenders, for the sake of our common environment and sustainable development. Published 2016.
Additional Related Guides
- Four Directions Writing GuideThis guide is designed for First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and other Indigenous students who need help writing university-level essays.