(photo credit: Darcy Lindberg)
The University of Alberta Faculty of Law is adding yet another faculty member.
Darcy Lindberg, currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law, will be joining the Faculty as an assistant professor as of January 1, 2019.
Lindberg's doctoral research, supervised by Dr. John Borrows, focuses on the constitutional and legal theory of Plains Cree peoples in relation to the land, water and animals, and the transsystemic relationships with Canadian constitutional law.
Lindberg also holds an LLM from the University of Victoria; his thesis explores Cree legal orders through an examination of ceremonial rules of procedure and the transformation of gendered protocols. His article "Transforming Buffalo: Plains Cree Constitutionalism and Food Sovereignty" will be published in a forthcoming collection on Food Law in Canada.
For Lindberg, who is Plains Cree from Wetaskiwin, his doctoral research was a natural next step in academic studies.
"Because a lot of our ceremonial practices involve a deep relationship with the land, my research made sense to me," he said.
Lindberg is looking forward to furthering his academic background by engaging with and learning from other students and Faculty members when he begins teaching next winter.
"Seeing the legal challenges some of these communities face, I'm excited to work with other experts in the field. I never would have guessed the amount of thinkers I've met who are doing the same sort of work," he said.
Dean Paul Paton said Lindberg is a welcome addition to a Faculty that is increasingly diverse in both background and experience..
"We're thrilled to welcome Darcy Lindberg to our team," said Paton.
"UAlberta Law has taken steps to integrate Aboriginal law and Indigenous legal theory and tradition into our curriculum. His academic knowledge and experiences with Indigenous law and culture will further build on the foundation laid by our current faculty members and help prepare our students entering the legal profession."
Like many in the profession, Lindberg's journey to law was spurred by a desire to help others.
After graduating with an English degree from Augustana University College, Lindberg spent five years with the Government of Alberta, working closely with First Nations and Métis groups in Alberta. Once he connected with the people and saw some of the systematic problems facing different communities, he decided a law degree would best equip him to help.
His said his position as an academic scholar is one he does not take lightly.
"It's a really honoured position, when you're being asked to help. I feel like I'm in that role; I'm serving our communities, engaging with them,and hopefully I'm helping bridge the gap," he said.
Previously, Lindberg practiced with Davis LLP in Whitehorse as an articling student and then lawyer, where he said the first-hand experience he gained during his time in northern Canada shaped his studies and research.
In addition, for nearly 15 years he's been involved with Alberta's Future Leaders Program, an Indigenous-focused youth program that helps build sport, recreation and cultural programs in Indigenous communities. He's also been a research assistant in the Indigenous Law Research Unit and is the cultural support coordinator at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law.
"There are a lot of interesting and wonderful areas of growth that the Faculty of Law is engaged with in regards to Indigenous law," said Lindberg, adding that while Indigenous legal orders have been around for millenia, there is still much work that needs to be done in academia to teach about Indigenous laws.
"It will be great to work with the students and professors and to be a part of the vision people are talking about here," he said.