Henderson, J. (Sa'ke'j) Y. & Battiste, J. (2013). How Aboriginal Philosophy Informs Aboriginal Rights. In Sandra Tomsons & Lorraine Mayer (Eds.), Philosophy and Aboriginal Rights. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

In the Western tradition, from the time of Socrates in ancient Greece, philosophers have been seeking to understand how people can best live together. The same has been true, since time immemorial, in the Indigenous world. In this epoch-making anthology, these two traditions come together for an ‘inter-philosophy' discussion, a first step towards building a just relationship between Canada’s Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples.  This contribution by J. (Sákéj) Youngblood Henderson and Jaime Battiste explores Canada’s relationships with First Nations under the Constitution of Canada, the court interpretations of aboriginal and treaty rights, and how Aboriginal sovereignty and knowledge generates Aboriginal rights. They use the Mi’kmaw Creation Story to explain the origins of Mi’kmaw knowledge, way of life, sovereignty and legal traditions. They discuss how Netukulimk is the ultimate principal or grundnorm of Mi’kmaw constitutional traditions.

ISBN 978-0-19-543130-8

Permission granted to use book cover image, Philosophy and Aboriginal Rights (2013) © Oxford University Press