Tansi Nîtôtemtik,
Wahkohtowin[1] is the Cree Law governing all relationships. The word wahkohtowin means “kinship,” and it is founded on the idea of “everything [being] related.”[2] Wahkohtowin explains why “Natural Law is needed in contemporary society”[3], and it is passed down through language, song, prayer and storytelling.[4]
Elder Clarence Whitstone of the Onion Lake Nation north-east of Edmonton was interviewed by Andrea Smith, an intern with The Tyee and part of the Journalists for Human Rights’ Emerging Indigenous Reporter Program.[5] In this interview, Elder Clarence Whitstone shared his knowledge of wahkohtowin:
What we do, and how we act in the world, has a direct effect on everything around us. This is [w]ahkohtowin, too, and it means that we have to consider our relations with everything as we walk upon the Earth. Each step must be meaningful, and ideally, positive. Each action must reflect our responsibility to all creatures, and the future.[6]
Wahkohtowin governs all of our interactions, not only with one another, but with animals and the land. As we will see over the next few weeks, wahkohtowin is the foundation for programs such as the Wahkohtowin Strengthening Families Program and the Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge at the University of Alberta.[7] Wahkohtowin is essential in Indigenous Governance and directs the Indigenous way of living. The “interconnectedness of all things, and our responsibilities to those we share the world with and the future” is a governing principle from which non-Indigenous Canadians should learn.[8]
For the next two weeks, we will be covering various aspects of the topic of wahkohtowin, including: wahkohtowin as a Cree legal doctrine; wahkohtowin in ceremony; wahkohtowin in action; and wahkohtowin in connection to Indigenous governance.
The above is a short introductory summary of wahkotowin, but if you wish to learn more, you can visit Voices of Amiskwaciy.[9]
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[1] Various spellings of the word wahkohtowin exist, all of them equally correct, including: wahkotowin, wah-ko-to-win, wâhkôhtowin, and wa-koo-towin. For the purposes of this blog, Team ReconciliAction YEG will be using the spelling of wahkohtowin per the Online Cree Dictionary <www.creedictionary.com> sub verbo "wahkohtowin".
[2] NCSA, “Wahkohtowin – Cree Natural Law” (2019), online: Voices of Amiskwaciy <www.voicesofamiskwaciy.ca> [NCSA].
[3] Andrea Smith, “Wahkohtowin: A Cree Way of Living” (25 February, 2019), online: The Tyee <www.thetyee.ca> [Smith].
[4] NCSA, supra note 2.
[5] Smith, supra note 3.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc., Wahkohtowin Strengthening Families Program (2017), online: Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc. <www.kanikanichihk.ca/wahkohtowin>; Department of Justice Canada, Government of Canada Supports the Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge and Launches a Call for Proposals for the Revitalization of Indigenous Laws (14 August 2019), online: <www.canada.ca>.
[8] Smith, supra note 3.
[9] NCSA, supra note 2.
