First Nations Land Claims






Overview of today's activity


We will use the topics below to explore how the First Nations have used the courts to develop a body of law which defines 
  • what evidence can be used to claim historical occupancy in a territory
  • what legal rights the First Nations have to their historically occupied lands
  • how access to land and resources, and control over development, is central to Environmental Justice
  • what new approaches are being used by the First Nations of British Columbia to overcome historical Environmental Justice
Pick a topic and using the references below, each of you will create two slides in the shared Google Presentation that
  • summarizes the topic
  • explains how it relates to Environmental Justice
  • explains how it contributes to an understanding of our case study "Death feast in Dimlahamid" 
  • and discusses what impact it has had on First Nations land claims and control of resources in British Columbia today
  • put your citations in the notes section below the slide, as well as your name
Add key locations for your topic to the shared Google My Map and in the icon balloons
  • tell us what the topic is and add your name
  • use the information from your research to briefly explain the importance of the location to the topic
  • you can use the First Nations interactive map to help find locations

Topics for today's activity

Background



Indian Act Reforms


Court cases



The Anniversary of Delgamuukw v. The Queen: Two Legacies
Peter R. Grant, lead counsel for the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en chiefs
Bryan Williams, lead counsel for the Province of British Columbia at the Court of Appeal

R. v. Marshall (1999)


New Approaches

Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh
Acknowledgement that Vancouver is on unceded land
Cooperation between the bands
Truth & Transformation: First in six-part series examining Vancouver through an Aboriginal lens

Tsilhqot'in Nation
Tribal Parks
Securing resources