Treaty 2 Territory – Sovereignty, everyone is asking, “What does that word mean?” There is no word as such in our language.
There are three parts to the answer to the question, “What does “sovereignty” mean?
First, you are a sovereign person because when it comes to the rights the Creator gave to you, no one is superior to you, not even equal to you. You have fundamental authority to exercise those rights. No one can take them away from you.
You are members of sovereign nations. Your nation is sovereign because no other nation, no other power, is superior to you. Your nation has fundamental authority to exercise its rights. No other nation is superior. When it comes to the exercise of your nation’s rights, no other nation is even equal to it.
But . . . remember all our stories, remember natural law, remember our Original Instructions, because they tell us there are the two other parts to the Law of Sovereignty.
So, second, we know that if we want others to respect our sovereignty, we must respect their sovereignty. Our elders tell us, “We do not have the right to tell others what to do.” Elders are often cautious even about giving advice – how many times have you had a question answered, “Well, it’s up to you.”
This leads us into the third part of Sovereignty. Sovereignty produces the best results when we voluntarily share it with others. We must exercise our sovereignty by sharing it, just as we shared our lands.
As participants in marriages, as members of families, we voluntarily give up some of our individual sovereign rights and freedoms in order to get the benefits of being a member of the family.
As members of local Nations, our families give up some of our family sovereignty and freedom in order to get the benefits of being members of The Nation.
Our communities give up some of their sovereign rights in order to be participants and members of nations of other peoples like ourselves – Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, Nakota. We put our sovereignty together with other local Nations so we can be recognized as members of The Nation.
Nations enter into Treaties with other nations in which there is voluntarily something given up in order to gain something else. In this case, we might have given up the right to wage war so that we might enjoy peace.
That is what we think sovereignty may mean.
WE OWE IT TO OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN TO PROTECT OUR SOVEREIGNTY AND FREEDOM AND TO PROTECT THE GIFTS THE CREATOR GAVE US!
Last modified: May 2, 2020
