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Africa's House of Chiefs: A Model for Aboriginal Governance in Canada?

2001-05-09

[A revised version of this text was published in the Globe and Mail on Saturday April 7, 2001.]

The Indigenous Summit of the Americas, held in Ottawa from March 28-31, sought ways of reconciling past and future, of ensuring that Indigenous peoples of the Americas benefit socially and economically from progress in a way that respects their culture and traditions. In this quest, Indigenous peoples could and should look beyond the Americas: the experience of a number of African countries with "Houses of Chiefs" — Indigenous Houses of Parliament — could provide a useful model for recognizing traditional forms of governance and fostering dialogue on Indigenous issues and rights.

The principle underlying Houses of Chiefs is simple: all democracies have at least one House of Parliament that represents all citizens on questions of national relevance. Some countries, like Canada, the U.K. and the U.S., also have a second House of Parliament — a Senate or House of Lords — that deals with situations or interests related to geography, regional equality, or history. In Ghana, South Africa, and Botswana, there are also Houses of Chiefs or Houses of Traditional Leaders. These bodies are concerned with how the post-colonial state — the government — should respond to the problems of indigenous (pre-colonial) people who have been colonized, but whose political, social, cultural, and economic (including land) values, relationships, and structures have survived to a greater or lesser degree. Research supported by Canada's International Development Research Centre is looking at ways in which state and traditional leaders can work together to foster development in these countries.

Advisory role

The Ghanaian, South African, and Botswana Houses of Chiefs have the authority to advise their governments on all sorts of issues. Depending on the country, these issues can range from land ownership or governance questions to the evaluation of "traditional customs and usages" that the House of Chiefs believes are in need of change. In Ghana, for instance, the Houses of Chiefs have participated in the delicate questions of land ownership and concluded that traditional forms of communal land ownership, under which virtually every Ghanaian has rights to some land, should be maintained despite pressures for foreign and domestic investors to allow private ownership. The chiefs and traditional leaders are also collaborating in the national strategy against HIV-AIDS.

Unlike the situation in Canada, indigenous peoples in Ghana, South Africa, and Botswana now control the post-colonial state. They have decided that matters which concern all citizens will be dealt with by their parliaments, and that special "traditional" or "indigenous" questions will be handled by their Houses of Chiefs, which have the power to debate and arrive at decisions.

Raising issues

The Houses of Chiefs often invite presidents or other heads of state, cabinet ministers, civil servants, judges, and other officials to address and debate issues. Chiefs often play a key role as community advocates, articulating local needs. In Botswana, the House of Chiefs can summon a cabinet minister to answer questions about her or his government portfolio, and the minister must comply. In these ways, the Houses of Chiefs have the power to raise issues with the government and to push for more accountability than if they did not exist.

The Houses of Chiefs act as a conflict resolution mechanism when disputes arise between different ethnic groups over traditional matters. In Ghana, such disputes may be taken first to the Regional House of Chiefs and then, if need be, to the National House of Chiefs. At each stage, careful and thorough, informal and formal discussions and committee work ensure that nearly all traditional ethnic questions are resolved.

Role of women

The role of women is also important. In southern Ghana, women are included in nearly all paramount chieftaincies as "Queen mothers." These women, who are not necessarily the mothers of the chiefs, have the right to nominate — even impeach — chiefs. Queen mothers advise chiefs and also act as moral leaders of the community. But while these women are represented at the grassroots level of the Houses of Chiefs, they are not yet in the Regional and National Houses of Chiefs. As Canada has a number of elected women chiefs, the question of gender could be usefully discussed by both Canadians and Africans.

There may be merit in investigating the usefulness of adapting Africa's Houses of Chiefs to the needs of Canada's First Nations. Of course it is for Canada's First Nations to examine this possibility. This evaluation could start with information exchanges between Canadian and African chiefs, researchers, officials, and others.

Governance model

Ultimately, the creation of a House of First Nations could give Indigenous leaders an ongoing institutional capacity to deal with their issues, as well as opportunities to raise these issues — as colleagues — with members of the House of Commons and Senate, as well as with civil servants and the national media. A House of First Nations could also be delegated responsibility and funding to deal with Aboriginal issues. This would seem in keeping with recent statements by both Indian Affairs and Northern Development Minister Robert Nault and Deputy Minister Shirley Serafini that the Canadian government " must rethink our role and shift to being facilitative while Aboriginal communities build up the government side of the equation to develop more independence and autonomy." Research has shown that good governance is essential to sustained social and economic development: Africa's House of Chiefs could provide a governance model built on the principles of inclusion, equality, and responsibility.

Professor Don Ray, of the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary, is the Project Leader of the Traditional Authority Applied Research Network (TAARN), funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). TAARN has research teams in Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, and at the University of Calgary. Dr Ray is also a 2000-01 research fellow at the Calgary Institute for the Humanities. His research is also funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Enhancing the Role of Traditional Leaders in African Governance, by John Eberlee

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