Doing Things the Right Way

Book excerpt: This research documents Dogrib traditional justice as it has been practiced in Lac La Martre, Northwest Territories, over the last century. Relying on information received from the elders, it describes a sophisticated body of Dogrib law, the understanding of which has important implications for how both the Dogrib people and the Department of Justice deal with social control. By examining the very different values and legal systems of the Dene and non-Dene, it sets the framework for the possibility of a Dene-controlled and culturally appropriate justice system.