“We, The Inuit of Labrador”: Balancing Inuit and Western Traditions in the Nunatsiavut Constitution
Canada’s Indigenous peoples have slowly been reclaiming control over their lands and lives. As a wide range of institutions emerges, designed to enhance Indigenous peoples’ ability to govern themselves according to their own principles and priorities, academic attention is shifting from normative ar...
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2021
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcs.2019-0043 https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jcs.2019-0043 |
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crunivtoronpr:10.3138/jcs.2019-0043 2024-06-23T07:54:10+00:00 “We, The Inuit of Labrador”: Balancing Inuit and Western Traditions in the Nunatsiavut Constitution White, Graham 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcs.2019-0043 https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jcs.2019-0043 en eng University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) Journal of Canadian Studies volume 55, issue 1, page 88-117 ISSN 0021-9495 1911-0251 journal-article 2021 crunivtoronpr https://doi.org/10.3138/jcs.2019-0043 2024-05-30T08:22:34Z Canada’s Indigenous peoples have slowly been reclaiming control over their lands and lives. As a wide range of institutions emerges, designed to enhance Indigenous peoples’ ability to govern themselves according to their own principles and priorities, academic attention is shifting from normative arguments about the need for self-government to the study of actual institutions. This article examines the constitution of the Nunatsiavut Government, the self-government regime established by the Inuit of Northern Labrador in 2005. The Nunatsiavut Constitution is a lengthy, formal document that not only sets out in detail the structures of the Nunatsiavut Government and how they are to operate but also proclaims the cultural and political aspirations of the Labrador Inuit. It is thus an instructive case for the consideration of how, and to what extent, Indigenous self-governments accommodate the tensions between Indigenous forms and norms of governance with the structures and principles of Western governance. Particular attention is devoted to the design of the only Inuit self-government in Canada, to the influence of Inuit culture on the organization and operation of the Nunatsiavut Government, and to constitutional provisions relating to the role of women in government and in society generally. The article is based on a close reading of the document, supplemented by interviews with key figures involved in the development of the constitution and with present-day Nunatsiavut Government officials. Article in Journal/Newspaper inuit University of Toronto Press (U Toronto Press) Canada Journal of Canadian Studies 55 1 88 117 |
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Canada’s Indigenous peoples have slowly been reclaiming control over their lands and lives. As a wide range of institutions emerges, designed to enhance Indigenous peoples’ ability to govern themselves according to their own principles and priorities, academic attention is shifting from normative arguments about the need for self-government to the study of actual institutions. This article examines the constitution of the Nunatsiavut Government, the self-government regime established by the Inuit of Northern Labrador in 2005. The Nunatsiavut Constitution is a lengthy, formal document that not only sets out in detail the structures of the Nunatsiavut Government and how they are to operate but also proclaims the cultural and political aspirations of the Labrador Inuit. It is thus an instructive case for the consideration of how, and to what extent, Indigenous self-governments accommodate the tensions between Indigenous forms and norms of governance with the structures and principles of Western governance. Particular attention is devoted to the design of the only Inuit self-government in Canada, to the influence of Inuit culture on the organization and operation of the Nunatsiavut Government, and to constitutional provisions relating to the role of women in government and in society generally. The article is based on a close reading of the document, supplemented by interviews with key figures involved in the development of the constitution and with present-day Nunatsiavut Government officials. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
White, Graham |
spellingShingle |
White, Graham “We, The Inuit of Labrador”: Balancing Inuit and Western Traditions in the Nunatsiavut Constitution |
author_facet |
White, Graham |
author_sort |
White, Graham |
title |
“We, The Inuit of Labrador”: Balancing Inuit and Western Traditions in the Nunatsiavut Constitution |
title_short |
“We, The Inuit of Labrador”: Balancing Inuit and Western Traditions in the Nunatsiavut Constitution |
title_full |
“We, The Inuit of Labrador”: Balancing Inuit and Western Traditions in the Nunatsiavut Constitution |
title_fullStr |
“We, The Inuit of Labrador”: Balancing Inuit and Western Traditions in the Nunatsiavut Constitution |
title_full_unstemmed |
“We, The Inuit of Labrador”: Balancing Inuit and Western Traditions in the Nunatsiavut Constitution |
title_sort |
“we, the inuit of labrador”: balancing inuit and western traditions in the nunatsiavut constitution |
publisher |
University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcs.2019-0043 https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jcs.2019-0043 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
inuit |
genre_facet |
inuit |
op_source |
Journal of Canadian Studies volume 55, issue 1, page 88-117 ISSN 0021-9495 1911-0251 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3138/jcs.2019-0043 |
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Journal of Canadian Studies |
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55 |
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1 |
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88 |
op_container_end_page |
117 |
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1802646209796505600 |