Wiitkaamaaganak: Adoption and the Resurgence of Anishinaabe Citizenship Orders

The Anishinaabe peoples of Canada continue to rebuild their political and legal systems after more than 170 years of colonial legislation that otherwise sought to get rid of Indians. Today, many are looking to their customs and practices to bring culturally-congruent governance structures back to the surface.

This talk focuses specifically on what the resurgence of inherent Anishinaabe citizenship governance can learn from customary adoption practices at Fort William First Nation.

Dr Damien Lee is Canada Research Chair in Biskaabiiyang and Indigenous Political Resurgence at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is currently Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professor with the Treatied Spaces Research Group. Dr Lee will share research drawn from his forthcoming book on adoption and the resurgence of Anishinaabe citizenship laws.