Constitution
Like other indigenous peoples in Turtle Island (the name for North America in many indigenous languages), Pimicikamak was constituted under spiritual law. These were passed down orally through stories and reflected in ceremonies and traditions of the Pimicikamak people. They formed part of the culture that enabled it to survive as a people in a harsh environment. Treaty 5, signed by the British Crown and by Tepastenam and two others on Pimicikamak's behalf in 1875, clearly were intended to and did amend this customary constitution. Pimicikamak is a body politic or corporate. In 1996, Pimicikamak enacted its First Written Law which began the adaptation of its constitution to modern circumstances. Since the 1990s Pimicikamak has made other written laws with constitutional effect in the English language, including a citizenship law and an election law. These are based on consensus. The government of Canada has doubted the validity of the First Written Law and written laws made pursuant to it but accepted the validity of one such law, The Pimicikamak Election Law, 1999, on other grounds.
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