Seventeenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

This paper examines the rationale, structure, and goals of contemporary treaty-making between Indigenous nations. While a number of international states negotiated treaties and other diplomatic accords with Native nations in the past (Canada continues the tradition today), most of that interracial and intercultural diplomacy ended in the late 19th century. Native nations, however, had historically forged such accords before colonialism ravaged their societies and beginning in the late 20th century they began a new surge of diplomatic international accord making. This paper examines what the issues are that are driving this political activity and closely looks at the political, legal, and cultural import of these treaties.