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A new course created听听by Schulich Law听Assistant Professor Cheryl Simon is giving students听an opportunity to听explore听Indigenous law through hands-on engagement with Indigenous material culture.听

Simon is an听听from Epekwitk (Prince Edward Island)听who has practiced porcupine quillwork for听nearly two听decades. Her course, LAWS 2385 鈥� Indigenous Law via Material Culture, was intentionally designed to immerse students in Indigenous legal principles through lived,听experiential learning.听

鈥淚 wanted to show听students听how our laws work in relation to land and the materials we harvest,鈥� she explains. 鈥淎nd while it鈥檚 not the first听time听I鈥檝e incorporated quillwork in a course I鈥檝e taught, it is the first time a course has听centred听on teaching Indigenous law through an art form like porcupine quillwork.鈥�

At the heart of the course is a focus on building meaningful relationships with the natural world. Students engage听in this work through several interconnected activities that emphasize听reflection, responsibility, and reciprocity.

As part of the course, each听of the 13听students听selected听a tree to visit weekly听and kept a听stewardship journal that documented听their observations, deepening their听understanding of both the course material and their relationship to the land.

With support from听听in the Sir James Dunn Law Library听鈥撎齛 Mi鈥檏maw woman听from听Glooscap First Nation in Nova Scotia听鈥撎齭tudents worked听in small groups to research materials used in quillwork. They听shared听their findings with the class, including Mi鈥檏maw terms and pronunciations, as well as stories connected to the materials, contributing to a collective learning experience rooted in knowledge sharing.

The course culminated听in a final project in which each student designed听and created听a quillwork piece that reflects the legal principles they have studied. After learning foundational techniques, including quill cleaning and insertion using an eight-pointed star design, students developed听their own original designs and presented听their work to the class.

鈥淚ndigenous law is meant to be embodied in an individual and have an effect on subsequent decisions and actions,鈥� says Simon. 鈥淚 hope the students take away a stronger connection to the land and a better understanding of how Indigenous legal principles function.听I am听extremely proud and excited for others to share in the quillwork that was created.鈥�

An exhibit of the students鈥� work is听on display in the atrium of the Weldon Law Building听until Friday, May 8.