Video 3: Giants and Little People: Indigenous Law In Context

 Giants and Little People is a presentation by  Professor John Borrows from the University of Minnesota. He's roots are from a reservation in Ontario. John Borrows looks at the formation of laws from the inside out, and from the outside in.
 From the inside out means building on the teachings and stories we have been raised with. The realization that a legal system has already exsisted and has been followed for hundreds of years.It is in our teachings that have been passed down. It is in our surroundings it "is sourced in the very rock that surrounds us." It is recorded in our petroglyphs, etched in stone. We have survived for years before the whiteman came, following the teachings of our ancestors.It is not called A Justice System, but it is one just the same.
From the outside in refers to embracing the whiteman's law and learning to take the positves from it and incorporate it into our culture. Although in this discussion John Borrows focuses on the inside out approach.
 He shares a story about a woman, her husband, two sons and grandson. The couple's sons die and they are sharing a story with their grandson.They are relating teachings to him about finding his purpose, gifts, healing and justice.
  They are teaching him that the stories and traditions are just as relevant today as they were hundreds of years ago. They may not be in the same context as a law book but they serve the same purpose. Its important to keep these traditions alive by practicing them. "You preserve jam, you live traditions." This means that traditions are not supposed to stay stagnant. They should change adapt and evolve with the people, as these changes take place our ancestors are smiling down on us with the knowledge that their laws live on.
 Another main point is to resolve disputes from the inside out. Sometimes we don't recognize when we are hurting ourselves or others Sometimes things are bigger than us and we can't wastre our time trying to resolve it. We need to learn to move on and hand over the fight to someone more qualified. In the story of the Indigo the people observe what is happening with the man in question before deciding on their actions. Collectively they come to a solution and remedy.