ABSTRACT

Across the globe, there are numerous examples of treaties, compacts, or other negotiated agreements that mediate relationships between Indigenous peoples and states or settler communities. Perhaps the best known of these, New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi is a living, and historically rich, illustration of this types of negotiated agreement, and both the symmetries and asymmetries of Indigenous-State relations. This collection refreshes the scholarly and public discourse relating to the Treaty of Waitangi and makes a significant contribution to the international discussion of Indigenous-State relations and reconciliation. The essays in this collection explore the diversity of meanings that have been ascribed to Indigenous-State compacts, such as the Treaty, by different interpretive communities. As such, they enable and illuminate a more dynamic conversation about their meanings and applications, as well as their critical role in processes of reconciliation and transitional justice today.

chapter |10 pages

Introduction

part I|64 pages

Foundations of Indigenous–State relationships

chapter 2|27 pages

Origin stories and the law

Treaty metaphysics in Canada and New Zealand

part II|52 pages

Giving meaning to the Treaty through time

part III|69 pages

Diverse sites of the Treaty relationship