Protection of First Nations Cultural Heritage: Laws, Policy, and Reform (Law and Society)

Indigenous peoples world-wide seek greater control over tangible and intangible cultural heritage. In Canada, issues concerning repatriation and trade of material culture, heritage site protection, treatment of ancestral remains, and control over intangible heritage are governed by a complex and uncertain legal and policy environment.

A companion to First Nations Cultural Heritage and Law, this collection discusses key features of US and international law influencing Canada. Legal and extra-legal avenues for reform are examined, including ethics codes, research protocols, institutional policies, human rights law, and First Nation legal orders. The book examines the opportunities and limits of existing frameworks and questions whether a radical shift in legal and political relations is necessary for First Nations concerns to be meaningfully addressed.