Indigenous communities will be empowered to renew and rebuild their own legal systems with support from Next Steps: Rebuilding Indigenous Law, the new research initiative from the University of Victoria (UVic) Faculty of Law.
"UVic is in the forefront of a profound shift in how education and research can be done with Indigenous Peoples as co-creators and leaders," says Qwul'sih'yah'maht, Robina Thomas, acting president and vice-chancellor of the University of Victoria. "Next Steps not only represents a model of collaboration rooted in respect, reciprocity, and Indigenous sovereignty, it is our committed response to the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Calls to Action."
Next Steps is a research initiative dedicated to rebuilding entire Indigenous legal orders, focusing on all areas of law. Each Indigenous society has its own unique traditions from which legal orders systems of law, including common law are drawn from by centuries of knowledge and interactions within and across cultures. Next Steps will work with Indigenous partners to rebuild these legal orders and to revitalize and apply their own legal traditions to respond to today's realities.
