X̱aaydaG̱a Tll Yahda TllG̱uhlG̱a Decolonizing justice: The formation of a Haida justice system

The imposition of colonial governance, law, and justice superseded Indigenous Nation-based ways of governing and responding to wrongdoing. The Haida Nation and Haida Gwaii are uniquely situated to reassert the right to justice. Through semi-structured in-depth interviews, this study addressed the research questions: What does justice mean to the Haida? How could Haida conceptions of justice be implemented in modern-day? The emergent themes encompass the importance of community involvement, looking to the past to understand the present, overcoming trauma and healing and taking incremental steps towards the ultimate goal of sovereignty. The re-establishment of a Haida justice (tll yahda, make things right) system will take time and the importance of building capacity, healing, and focusing on our collective strengths was highlighted by participants. This study suggests that the formalization of a Haida Tll Yahda system is possible and offers suggestions for further actions to hold Canada to account for the ongoing harm it has caused.