NEWS
Monday, September 29, 2014 3
Anishinaabe Law Camp
Student reflections on Osgoode’s inaugural
Indigenous law camp
serena dykstra, zachary d’onofrio, &
jasleen johal › contributors
P
ii dash shkakimi-kwe giigidid aabdeg
gbizindawaamin: When the Earth speaks,
we will listen. This was a guiding theme
posited by elders of the Chippewas of Nawash
for Osgoode’s inaugural Anishinaabe Law Camp:
Anishinaabe Naakinigewin Gabeshawin.
On the weekend of September 11 to 14, approximately 40 law students and Osgoode faculty members travelled to Neyaashiinigmiing (Cape Croker)
to attend the camp, organized by Professor Andrée
Boisselle in collaboration with John Borrows and
his daughter Lindsay, their family and community,
the Chippewas of Nawash. For those unaware, John
Borrows is a world-renowned scholar in Indigenous
Legal Traditions and Aboriginal Rights, and currently Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law at
the University of Victoria Law School. He is also a
former Osgoode professor and founding director of
the Aboriginal Intensive.
The camp allowed students the opportunity to
engage with Anishinaabe legal traditions and community-based learning. We were taken on the land
in Neyaashiinigmiing to learn about Indigenous law
through experiential learning and discussion with
legal scholars, elders and other community members.
We also had opportunities to develop more meaningful relationships with each other: from sleeping sideby-side on the floor of a community centre to sharing
laughs over mealtimes, there were plenty of opportunities to get to know each other or to deepen alreadyformed friendships. Below, three students share some
experiences of the first Anishinaabe Law Camp.
Serena Dykstra
The most profound thing about the law camp was
how my relationships with other students deepened.
I have been in law school with some of these students
for two years, and yet knew very little about their
personal lives. At the camp we were able to be vulnerable with each other through sharing circles, singing
around the fire, and midnight strolls along the shores
of Georgian Bay. I am grateful I was able to attend the
camp. I learned so much about Anishinaabe law and
was reminded that there are more important things
than grades or job interviews. Attend the camp if
you can. If nothing else you will be left with lasting
friendships and memories.
Zachary D’Onofrio
As a JD/MES student, one highlight of the camp for
me was the opportunity to discuss local envir