Indigenous self-determination and food sovereignty through fisheries governance in the Great Lakes region

Abstract

Fishing has long been essential to Indigenous peoples throughout the Great Lakes region. With the arrival of European settlers, Indigenous fishing activities were forcibly disrupted. The result of a broken treaty process, reserve system, and imposed legislation was that Indigenous peoples’ control of fish, land, and water systems was significantly curtailed, with devastating implications on cultures, economies, and food systems. Despite this violence, Indigenous peoples throughout the Great Lakes are involved in efforts to reclaim their fishing rights as part of asserting self-determination. In this chapter, we explore two cases of fisheries governance involving Indigenous and settler engagements, each struggling to maintain elements of self-governance and sovereignty over their fisheries in relation to the state. Collaborating with Batchewana First Nation of the Ojibways and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation to produce this chapter, we share their different aspirations, strategies used to exercise jurisdiction, and perceptions of opportunities and limitations in organizing towards enhanced equity for sustainable fisheries. Ultimately, we aim to contribute to a sharing of governance experiences to enhance the potential for Nation-to-Nation relationships and support Indigenous movements towards self-determination and food sovereignty.

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