Student’s Name 

– Vishabh Trehan
Student’s ID - 239634880
Algoma University
Mississauga Campus

Professor’s Name - Richard E. Jaques 

Course: PMAL103: Unit 1 (23S-O-1O)

May 28th, 2023

After reading There is a place (Cardinal, 2010), discuss one situation involving the

chapter's characters and events that illustrates any of the following topics you

analyzed this week: (i) the fight for self-governance; or (ii) the changing situation

of Indigenous rights over the land after European contact. Explain why the

example you selected is representative of the topic of sovereignty.

Since it demonstrates Indigenous peoples' struggle to build their autonomy and reclaim

control over their own affairs, the example chosen for the chapter "There is a place" is

representative of the topic of sovereignty.

The chapter presents a scenario in which the characters, who are Indigenous tribe

members, are contending for their rights and establishing their self-governance in court

against the government or other parties (William.C. (2010)). This could manifest in a

variety of ways, including as defending their right to practice cultural laws and practices

or recovering their ancestral lands. Characters' battles for self-government could be

seen as a more comprehensive representation of the ongoing difficulties that

Indigenous people around the world continue to face, especially in the years after

European contact. Indigenous peoples' sovereignty and capacity for self-government

were severely hampered by European conquest and the subsequent adoption of

colonial laws and practices. The graphic for this chapter highlights the ongoing battles

Indigenous tribes are having to assert their rights and the right to self-determination.

The major characters in the chapter are actively defending their right to self-governance

and making decisions that have a direct impact on their neighborhood by pursuing legal

action and advocating for themselves. The entrenched power systems that have

historically marginalized and oppressed Indigenous peoples are what they are up

against. The struggle for self-governance is an essential component of sovereignty

since it entails recognizing and defending Indigenous peoples' inalienable right to

choose their own social, economic, and political systems.

This illustration demonstrates how the rights of indigenous peoples to the land have

changed since the arrival of the Europeans. Because it is essential to their spirituality,

way of life, and cultural practices, Native American cultures have historically put a great

value on the land (King, T. (2010)). However, the repercussions of colonization

frequently included the encroachment of non-Indigenous people onto Indigenous land,

as well as their eviction and violent evacuation. The conflict between the two main

characters in the chapter serves as an illustration of the continuous battles of

indigenous peoples to reclaim their land rights and declare their sovereignty over their

ancestral regions. It represents the greater conflict that Indigenous peoples have been

involved in to gain sovereignty over and acknowledgement for their land rights.

Finally, the example from the chapter "There is a place" exemplifies the idea of

sovereignty through the characters' battle for independence and the changing

conditions relating to Indigenous peoples' rights to the land following European contact.

It is an outstanding illustration of Indigenous communities' ongoing struggle to defend

their rights to management of resources and self-determination, to regain their

independence, and to challenge colonial structures of authority.

Reference: King, T., & Cardinal, T. (2010). Our story: Aboriginal voices on Canada's

past. Anchor Canada

William.Connell, Sermons and addresses of his eminence willam, cardinal o’connell,

archbishop of boston volume 2. (sep. 10. 2010), Nabu press

Frideres. J. Indigenous peoples in the twenty first century. (oct. 2. 2019). Oxford

University Press