Ontology good- key to Indigenous self-determination

Indigenous self-determination is a crucial step in addressing colonial injustices. It is also an important step in establishing Indigenous climate justice (Whyte, 2020) and promoting Indigenous wellbeing (Murphy, 2014).Much of the literature within political philosophy on Indigenous self-determination has focused on its justification. Another question that political philosophers interested in Indigenous self-determination address is how it should be put into practice. This question concerns not primarily the justification of Indigenous self-determination but the political framework in which it is implemented. However, what is missing in the discussion of Indigenous self-determination within political philosophy is the role of political ontology. Until now, debates about political ontology have primarily occurred in the disciplines of anthropology, Indigenous studies, science and technology studies, and political ecology. Ontologies determine the ontological commitments of Indigenous peoples or settler states in governance and decision-making contexts. Consequently, they determine what kinds of entities exist for Indigenous peoples or settler states in the political realm and how political institutions and decision-making procedures are viewed by them. If self-determination is implemented without addressing the question of diverging ontologies, there is a risk that the ontology of the settler state will continue to prevail, meaning that colonial domination would continue on the ontological level. Settler ontologies that ignore Indigenous land claims and regard Indigenous territory as an extractable resource would be an example of such ontological domination. If such ontologies remain unchallenged, they will undermine any attempts to implement Indigenous self-determination. Hence, the struggle for Indigenous self-determination comprises an engagement with not only political practices, structures, and institutions but also dominant ontologies. In this paper, I argue that addressing dominating ontologies is crucial for achieving Indigenous self-determination. I first argue that Indigenous self-determination requires an engagement with political ontology. I then introduce Iris Young’s conception of self-determination as non-domination as a way to engage with diverging ontologies within the political framework of federalism. In the final section of the paper, I provide two constructive proposals about how Indigenous peoples and settler states can establish an ontology at the federal level that facilitates Indigenous self-determination.