A CONVERSATION PIECE ABOUT IMPLEMENTING INUIT LEGAL ORDERS INTO THE NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT’S INUIT COURT

Abstract

A majority of Inuit reside above the 55th parallel in 51 communities throughout Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and Inuvialuit. This area is Inuit Nunangat and each of these Inuit regions has their own modern treaty. The political and legal history of the evolution of these modern treaties is under-represented within educational institutions. Breathing life into and contextualizing this history is integral when revitalizing Inuit legal orders. There is space to implement Inuit legal orders into the governing structures throughout Inuit Nunangat. This thesis highlights that published and publicly accessible Inuit stories embodies law. Law from the stories is applicable to governance structures, such as a Declaration of Inuit Laws, applicable to an Inuit Court in Nunatsiavut. This thesis is a conversation piece about the possibilities, challenges and the preparation needed when imagining what an Inuit Court in Nunatsiavut could look like, and how Inuit legal orders can inform that process.