Women’s participation in decision making - Environmental and Human Security in the Arctic - page 207

describe the different political institutions extant in the NWT and Nunavut,
broadly demarcated as 'colonial' and 'Indigenous', with attention to the often
interactive relations constituting each. Through this description, we attempt
to draw attention to the different political institutions and forces at play in
decision-making in the North in order to explore the potential implications
of the interrelationships and tensions between these institutions for human
security in the Arctic and to provide background for the more detailed case
studies of and proposals for women's involvement in the political life of
Nunavut that follow.
Characteristics and institutions of Indigenous
political processes
Generally, Indigenous political processes are embedded within the social and
political cultures and processes that have historical continuity with pre-colo-
nial practice, characterized by Indigenous autonomy . 5 Generally, these are
'institutions' conceived broadly as practices unrecognized by colonial gov-
ernments. Indigenous political processes exist without reference to colonial
systems and thus are not designed to correspond with colonial political insti-
tutions. Generally, Canada has chosen to bypass Indigenous political practices
and institutions in favour of creating institutions most suited to its own pur-
poses. For example, following the 'Indian Act', Bands replaced Indigenous
institutions (often referred to as 'traditional leadership') in First Nation com-
munities of the NWT. These Bands were designed and mandated by the
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) to serve
specific purposes in relation to the responsibilities and policies of Canada,
rather than to provide legitimate representation to Indigenous peoples . 6 In
many communities in the NWT, such Indigenous political institutions are
predicated on community recognition versus election, and, as one leader
described to Irlbacher-Fox, Indigenous leadership predicated on Indigenous
practices consists of people who are 'respected, not elected'. This recognition
as a leader stems from a person's abilities, behaviours and characteristics in
light of specific expectations, requirements and conventions of cultural and
social practices and rules. For example, an Elder for purposes of a government
pension is a person having achieved a specific age, such as sixty-five years old.
In Indigenous communities, the title of Elder is assigned to persons who may
have reached a certain age, but is equally, if not more, attached to a person's
cultural expertise, personal attributes, behaviours and participation within a
community and within a set of specific cultural and social expectations.
Indigenous political institutions reflect variances of Indigenous political
cultures with those of the dominant society. In the NWT, Indigenous peo-
ples' 'Assemblies' - community, tribal, regional and national - are regular
gatherings of community representatives established to provide general direc-
tion to leaders and make joint decisions, mainly on a consensus basis. Elders