Protection of First Nations Cultural Heritage

The essays in these two volumes [First Nations Cultural Heritage and Law and Protection of First Nations Cultural Heritage] invoke national, international, and First Nations customary law as a channel for reversing and providing redress for a major effect of colonialism. They gather substantial information around this theme in a discourse of advocacy, providing a strong focus for discussion but leaving to one side significant issues that are likely to require nuanced consideration when specific questions concerning particular aspects of heritage require resolution. -- Andrea Laforet, Canadian Museum of Civilization Museum Anthropology, Vol. 34, Issue. 1, 2011

A companion to "First Nations Cultural Heritage and Law". It looks at the key features of Canadian, US, and international law influencing indigenous cultural heritage in Canada. It examines legal and extralegal avenues for reform, including ethics codes, research protocols, institutional policies, human rights law, and First Nation legal orders.

Indigenous peoples around the world are seeking greater control over tangible and intangible cultural heritage. In Canada, issues concerning repatriation and trade of material culture, heritage site protection, treatment of ancestral remains, and control over intangible heritage are governed by a complex legal and policy environment. This volume looks at the key features of Canadian, US, and international law influencing indigenous cultural heritage in Canada. Legal and extralegal avenues for reform are examined and opportunities and limits of existing frameworks are discussed. Is a radical shift in legal and political relations necessary for First Nations concerns to be meaningfully addressed?