About the Women and Claims Project — Our Laws Arise from the Land

The roles, rights, and legal authority of Indigenous women and gender diverse people were disrupted by colonization. Today, to avoid repeating the harms of the past, processes to address historical wrongs (including land loss) must recognize the specific losses faced by Indigenous women and gender diverse peoples. At the same time, dialogue and clear action is needed to restore and enact the authority of Indigenous women and gender diverse people, including over many aspects of lands, waters, and community life.

Working Together to Revitalize and Re-Enact Women’s Authority

The “Women and Claims” project arose out of research by Justice Ardith We’dalx Walkem on enacting Indigenous laws within specific claims and out of a series of video interviews Justice Walkem and UBCIC researcher Angie Bain conducted in 2019 on this topic, including with women.

Now, working with Dr. Sarah Hunt / Tłaliłila’ogwa, the BC Specific Claims Working Group is involved in a multi-stage research and community-building project to build knowledge and collective strength to support the rights and authority of Indigenous women and gender diverse people.

The Work We Have Done So Far

We are grateful to the Elders, chiefs, and knowledge holders who have participated in this ongoing work, which has so far included three main types of work:

Discussion Paper: In 2018, Sarah Hunt wrote a discussion paper: The Impact of the Reserve Creation Process on Indigenous Women.
Gatherings: Dr. Hunt and the BCSCWG have hosted two gatherings: “Rematriating Indigenous Lands and Laws” (October 2023) and “Enacting the Authority of Our Great-Grandmothers: Envisioning Redress for Gendered Historical Losses through Indigenous Law” (November 2025). The BCSCWG produced a Summary Report on this November gathering. Additional in-community gatherings are currently being planned.
Dialogue Guides: We are working to create a series six short guides designed to support Indigenous women and gender diverse peoples in community in having conversations about the rights, roles, and authority of Indigenous women and gender diverse peoples. Click here to learn more about the guides.