Working with law means working with values. These guide my work:

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• Indigenous laws are as diverse as the peoples and places they nurture. Their sources, resources and applications are expressions of inherent, responsible and responsive self-governance. Indigenous laws are upheld in legislation, ceremonies, daily practices and many other forms. 
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• Indigenous legal orders - rooted, adaptable, and comprehensive - respond to the challenges and aspirations of Indigenous citizenries. They include space for critical conversations, enquiry, debate, and difference. They are strong enough to handle conflicts.

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• Indigenous governance structures - elected, matriarchal, hereditary, and other forms - can support intensely democratic practices.

 

• Indigenous governance - including gendered roles - can support gender equities, rights and freedoms.

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• Indigenous governance - including collective, relational orientations and responsibilities - can reflect, protect, and promote individual agency and well-being.

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• Indigenous legal orders - representing thousands of years of maintaining lawfulness within and between societies - must be central to the  implementation of the UN Declaration and other reconciliation frameworks.

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These are small words for big ideas. I am always happy to discuss how these values guide my work.