Indigenous sovereignty

Indigenous sovereignty "consists of spiritual ways, culture, language, social and legal systems, political structures, and inherent relationships with lands and waters" that "exist through Indigenous peoples regardless of what a colonial state does or does not do and "arises from each community's Indigenous Traditional Knowledge." -Indigenous Environmental Network

Indigenous sovereignty is recognized by the Canadian government; that both Canada and Indigenous Peoples maintain their own sovereign states. "Sovereign states indicate that they are two separate governing states residing on the same land."

Idle No More is an Indigenous-led movement that calls on all people to join in a peaceful revolution which honours and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty and protects the land, water, and sky; it is the resistance of Indigenous peoples in response to ongoing settler colonialism. - Idle No More

What does sovereignty mean to Indigenous Peoples?

Non-interference	International Law says that Nation states must not interfere with the internal affairs of other Nation States (such as Indigenous Nations). To do so would be a violation of recognized sovereignty. The Two-Row Wampum covenant demonstrates the principle of non-interference and mutual respect being foundational of every Treaty signed between European (or Canadian) and Indigenous Nations.
Land back	"What must be reconciled is the Crown’s assertion of sovereignty with the pre-contact sovereignty of Indigenous Nations." -Stephen John Ford Reconciling and reparations, therefore, must include a redistribution of wealth, land and jurisdictional power within the Settler State.
Asserting Indigenous ways of life	Asserting sovereignty can be as simple as exercising an Indigenous right, such as hunting, fishing or gathering.

Understanding why Indigenous sovereignty is necessary for climate justice

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