Bruce Granville Miller- Oral Histories on Trial

Oral Traditions are at the heart of Indigenous societies and in some instances provide crucial information regarding rights to land, water, and fishing/hunting. The Canadian Supreme Court has said that oral history has the same footing as written history but the Crown has consistently disputed oral history as evidence in court. In this talk, based on my book, Oral History on trial: Recognizing Aboriginal Narratives in the Courts, I will describe what distinguished oral historians have taught me about their work and how I have used this information to dispute Crown critiques of oral history evidence both in court and in writing. First Nations have continued in their efforts to reframe their place in Canada through litigation (and other means) and I consider successful uses of oral history evidence.