Agawaateyaa (illuminating shadows): reconciling Indigenous and Canadian property systems

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dc.contributor.authorMcIntyre, Donald Gordon
dc.contributor.authorUniversity of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
dc.contributor.supervisorMcManus, Sheila
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-22T20:23:50Z
dc.date.available2025-09-22T20:23:50Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.degree.levelPh.D
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation examines the legal, philosophical, and cultural foundations of Canadian property law and its persistent exclusion of Indigenous systems of ownership, governance, and knowledge. Drawing on my Anishinaabe and Scottish heritage, I critique colonial constructs such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius, deconstruct Western property theories from Hobbes and Locke, and contrast them with Indigenous gifting economies and relational land ethics. Using Subaltern Studies, Critical Discourse Analysis, and Indigenous methodologies, I propose “Indigenous Trans-systemics” as a paradigm that transcends binary legal frameworks, advocating for polyphonic, coexistent systems. Combining scholarly analysis with artistic praxis, I present a holistic, relational model of property rooted in Indigenous cosmologies, ceremony, and responsibility. This work challenges the autopoietic nature of Western legal systems and calls for rebalancing the “volume” between Indigenous and settler voices to advance reconciliation and restore Indigenous legal authority.
dc.embargoNo
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/7144
dc.indigenous.nameAhnAhnsisi, Makoyii Ohtomaahkaa
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherLethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Philosophy
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Philosophy
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Science
dc.relation.ispartofseriesProject (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science)
dc.subjectIndigenous property systems
dc.subjectCanadian property systems
dc.subjectIndigenous Trans-systemics
dc.subjectpolyphonic systems
dc.subjecthierarchial systems
dc.subject.lcshLand tenure--Canada--Cross-cultural studies
dc.subject.lcshLand tenure--Law and legislation--Canada
dc.subject.lcshRight of property
dc.subject.lcshIndigenous peoples--Land tenure
dc.subject.lcshDoctrine of discovery (International law)--History
dc.subject.lcshSettler colonialism
dc.subject.lcshTraditional knowledge
dc.subject.lcshTraditional practice
dc.titleAgawaateyaa (illuminating shadows): reconciling Indigenous and Canadian property systems
dc.typeProject
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