Pathways to Self-Determination: Canadian Indians and the Canadian State

John Marshall was Associate Professor of Library and Information Science at the University of Toronto.

This excellent collection tackles the question of Indian government from many angles. Of 21 contributors, two-thirds are Native people. While the book as a whole is thoroughly sympathetic to Native self-government, both Native and non-Native authors present a variety of approaches and points of view as to what it is and how it will be achieved. Contributing to this variety in an interesting way is the inclusion of five articles by Indian spokesmen from the United States. One of these, by an official of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples, places the issue quite helpfully in an international context.

The headings for the six sections of the book provide some idea of its content and the sequence of the argument: Cultural and Ideological Foundations; Ethnonationalist Ideas; Bureaucracy, Public Policy, and Indian Government; Legal, Political and Economic Constraints; Social, Economic, and Organizational Requisites for Indian Government; and Indian Government and the Constitution.

What emerges is a very complex and many-sided set of issues. Indian leaders are determined upon achieving real and full autonomy in the administration of their own affairs. This must include all facets of their existence: cultural, spiritual, educational, environmental, political, economic. In all this, the land and its resources are central. And the first requirement is to establish financial independence from the federal government. “Only through economic independence can any degree of political autonomy be obtained.” Obviously, there is a long and difficult period of organization and struggle ahead. The clash with the established political culture of the bourgeois nation-state and with its deeply rooted ideological underpinnings is staggering to contemplate. Self-government for the Indian people, whether at band, regional, or federal levels, will not be achieved without much greater understanding and support from Canadians generally. This book makes a significant contribution to that understanding and should be made available to the widest public.