J. Anthony Long

Tribal Traditions and European-Western Political Ideologies: The Dilemma of Canada's Native Indians

Native Indian leaders in Canada have embraced the European-Western doctrine of sovereignty as the political-legal instrumentality for achieving their version of “the good society.” This article analyzes the appropriateness and feasibility of sovereign statehood for Canadas Indians. Indian aspirations to sovereign statehood run aground on at least two counts: key ideas contained in the European-Western doctrine of sovereignty are incompatible with core values comprising traditional Indian culture: also, the Canadian government is implacably opposed to relinquishing its sovereignty over Indians. This study explores alternative models of self-determination for Canadas Indians and concludes that stateless nationhood offers the best basis on which Indians may be able to negotiate internal self-determination.

Political Revitalization in Canadian Native Indian Societies

At present, the federal government is engaged in community-based self-government negotiations with a number of Indian bands and tribal groups across Canada with the objective of bringing about legislative arrangements for a limited form of self-government outside the Indian Act . An important part of these negotiations involves the federal governments promise to allow the incorporation of “customary or traditional structures,” where desired, into redesigned Indian governments. This article explores the difficulties confronting Indian leaders in their attempts to revitalize traditional governing practices within their respective communities. Through a comparison of traditional and contemporary governing practices in two plains Indian societies, the Blood and Peigan Nations, this article addresses the question of whether present Indian government, which represents an externally imposed form based on the Indian Act , has been institutionalized within these communities. If institutionalization has occurred, then a return to traditional governing practices, the author argues, is effectively precluded. After analyzing traditional and contemporary governing practices the author concludes that strong traditionalist orientations remain within these Indian communities, thus providing the opportunity for political revitalization.

Federal Indian Policy and Indian Self-Government in Canada: An Analysis of a Current Proposal

In this paper we examine the most recent proposal of the department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development for increased self-government for Canadas status Indians. The proposal represents the most serious attempt in over a decade to deal with the problems of the current Indian Act. Our analysis focuses on two key aspects of the proposal its authority base and the idea of Indian government constitutions. From our analysis we conclude that despite a consensus between Indians and officials of the Department over the desirability of increased governmental powers for Indian Bands, crucial differences exist between the two sides over the substance and future development of Indian government. These differences will constitute significant, if not insurmountable, barriers to the enactment of Indian government legislation. We also argue that any equation between the proposal and the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act of the United States is highly misleading because of the different policy contexts between the United States and Canada.