Anishinaabe Governance is… many things. The basic question we can ask is: “What is Governance?”
The definition of Governance according to Webster’s dictionary:
Governance: the act or process of governing or overseeing the control and direction of something (such as a country or an organization).
The Institute on Governance defines it really well and simply:
Governance is how society or groups within it, organize to make decisions. Governance determines who has power, who makes decisions, how other players make their voice heard and how account is rendered.”
For our purposes, we will keep the definition simple:
Governance means how governments or organizations make decisions.
So “Anishinaabe Governance” means how Anishinabek Nation First Nations make decisions in their communities and as the collective Anishinabek Nation.
The Four Areas
The four areas of Anishinaabe Governance we will be discussing during this community knowledge dialogue are:
- Leadership Selection – Determining how we select our leadership
- Citizenship – Determining who our citizens are
- Language and Culture – Creating laws to preserve our Anishinabek way of life
- Operation & Management of Government – Determining how we will conduct our affairs, provide programs and services, and fund our operations. This includes how we allocate, spend our money, and are accountable to our citizens.
At the same time, the Anishinabek Nation is also working on these areas of Governance:
- Education – Anishinabek Education System/Kinoomaadziwin Education Body operates our own Education system;
- Child Well-Being – Anishinabek Nation Child Well-Being Law. This determine how we protect and take care of our children
- Health and Wellness – Anishinabek Nation Health Transformation. This process will determine how we provide health programs and services and ensure the well-being of our people.
Other areas of governance that we may explore in the future include:
- Justice – How we administer and enforce our laws
- Policing – How we protect and secure our citizens and their property
- Lands Management – How we manage our lands and interest on our territory
- Environment – How we protect Mother Earth, the lands and water and all of Creation
- Business and Economic Development – How we establish our own economy and wealth creation
- Housing – How we build and allocate safe, adequate and affordable housing
- Intergovernmental Affairs – How we interact with other governments
This list could go on and on.