21 Things You Need to Know About Indigenous Self-Government: A Conversation About Dismantling the Indian Act

by Bob Joseph

Bob Joseph's 21 Things® You May Not Know About the Indian Act captured the attention of hundreds of thousands of Canadians by shining a light on the Indian Act and the problems associated with it. In that book, readers learned that the Consolidated Indian Act of 1876 has controlled the lives of Indigenous Peoples in Canada for generations, and despite its objective to assimilate Indians into the economic and political mainstream, it has had the opposite effect: segregation. They live under different laws and on different lands.

People came away from that book with questions such as "Can we get rid of the Indian Act?" and "What would that look like? Would self-government work?" These are timely questions, given that 2026 will mark 150 years since the Consolidated Indian Act of 1876. The short answer to these questions is, yes, we can dismantle the Act, and there are current examples of self-government arrangements that are working. With his trademark wisdom, humility, and deep understanding, Bob Joseph shows us the path forward, in which Indigenous self-governance is already happening and not to be feared--and negotiating more such arrangements, sooner rather than later, is an absolute necessity.

Beginning with the relationship between Indigenous Peoples, the Crown, and settlers in at the early days of colonization, Joseph travels to the current landscape and the tremendous possibility for reconciliation--a future every Canadian can support. He illustrates the widespread negative consequences of the reserve system that can only be redressed by self-government. With insight and clarity, he busts myths about taxation, the so-called benefits of the Indian Act, and the trustee-wardship relationship. And he provides inspiring examples of how self-government agreements are working well, from the Nisga'a Final Agreement to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, while showing how key the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is to defining what sovereignty really means.

21 Things You Need to Know About Indigenous Self-Government: A Conversation about Dismantling the Indian Act illuminates what Canadians need to know to stand in the work of reconciliation as individuals, as organizations, and as a country of many nations. Bob Joseph shows us a way forward with his trademark wisdom, humility, and deep understanding, Indigenous self-governance is not only a possibility, but an absolute necessity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, Canada, Politics, History, Audiobook, Book Club

216 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2025

Reviews

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

“While self-government is not a quick fix for the deeply rooted social, health, and economic issues that plague the Indigenous community, it is a step towards empowering communities to break free from the constraints of the Indian Act and rebuild and heal from the intergenerational effects of residential schools.”

Next year marks 150 years of the Indian Act. Did you know that it’s the oldest piece of legislation still in use within Canada? This well-written and easy-to-follow 142-page book highlights 21 ways to improve the quality of life for all Canadians by dismantling the Indian Act.

Author Bob Joseph is one of the best-regarded voices on Indigenous relations and it was fantastic to both meet him at the Incite event and read his book. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to know a simple history of the Act, how it affects Indigenous people, and why we need to dismantle it.

[Kaila Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bite sized audiobook with a bit of background history here and there about Indigenous land claims and rights with great examples of how Indigenous self governance works. I hope more and more Indigenous communities and nations are able to follow in the footsteps of nations like the Nisga’a people. Their land is beautiful, I highly recommend a visit.

[KJ The Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible book.

Mr. Bob Joseph brought the receipts 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 he was amazing at being objective in saying what has worked historically, and what has not. A great layout for how to overcome the obstacles and how to move forward. It was an amazing educational experience with cites and sources for everything.

This is going to be one of those books I end up purchasing for my bookshelf to be able to reference back to when having conversations with other settlers. Every single Canadian should read this.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy to understand conversation about what Indigenous self-government could (and should) look like in Canada told from the best-selling author of 21 things you may not know about the Indian Act. I liked that the author read the audio book himself and that it was a combination of history, recent events and legal writes/possibilities. Highly recommended for those looking to educate themselves or broaden their minds.

[Lisa Boughen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all Canadians... this book answers the question "Is it possible to get rid of the Indian Act and what would that look like?". Very well laid out in accessible terms and examples.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and informative! Read it.

[Alyssa Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly educational and thought-provoking. Left me with a lot of interesting context and food for thought. I really appreciated everything this book brought to the table.

[Stephy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Joseph has once again delivered a timely and necessary book. After 21 Things™ You May Not Know About the Indian Act exposed the harms of the Act, this follow-up takes us to the next step: understanding how dismantling it and supporting Indigenous self-government can truly work.

What I learned is that self-governance is not just an idea for the future. It is already happening in communities across Canada and these examples show us that it is possible, practical, and urgently needed.

As a settler, this book reminded me that I have a role to play. It is not enough to acknowledge the harm of the Indian Act. I must also be willing to act. That means educating myself, supporting Indigenous-led governance, and speaking up in my workplace and community about moving toward real nation to nation relationships.

This book is more than information. It is a call to action. As we near the 150th anniversary of the Consolidated Indian Act, we all have a responsibility to ensure the future looks different. I highly recommend this book to anyone

[Okey Okafo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I have become more interested in Indigenous rights in a Canadian context through my studies of Canadian history in university, I became fascinated with the topic of self-government–only for me to pick up this book (by an Indigenous Canadian) and realize self-government means something completely different than what I thought it was. It was a very quick read, but an eye-opener in terms of understanding what many Indigenous Canadians are advocating for and fighting for and how that can potentially align with Canadian policy going forward...that is, if those in leadership have the courage to pursue decolonization and listen to the voices of Indigenous peoples regarding their needs and their autonomy.

[Limber Lad · Rating 4 out of 5]

2026 14/100

I think my biggest “issues” with this concise read is that it’s almost *too* brief. The author says things like “ is an interesting read.” or variations of “As shown in these examples, this is true.” to presumably save space, but it just leaves me wanting to know *why* these were such good sources or why he wanted to use them.

He also mentions numbers of First Nations using different tax structures/political models/chief structures but not the percentage or size of them in terms of the entire Canadian population, which leaves them feeling a bit unsubstantiated.

Otherwise though, this is a great, well-sourced read and I learned quite a bit.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very important book for all Canadians to read. Very dry of course, because it involves a lot of legal issues that were often described a lot more detail than I was able to absorb at times. However, there were a lot of excellent points made and even though I’ve read and studied in this area before, there were still many points that I hadn’t known before. This short book was both eye-opening and heartbreaking as well as hopeful. I listened to this as an audiobook and really appreciated hearing the author’s voice as he narrated his own work with what felt like a very balanced and optimistic tone that was non-blaming and really helped to bring his points across effectively .

[livia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today is the last day of Indigenous History Month in Canada, and this year will mark 150 years since the Indian Act was put into place to strip Canada's Indigenous people of, quite frankly, everything.

Indigenous self-government was once a very confusing term - I often thought that the final act of reconciliation would be to have the land back, and how could that happen given that Canada has developed as it has? This small but mighty book explains everything quite clearly and in an easy-to-understand manner. Indigenous self-government is possible, and we can act now to make sure that it does.

[James Junke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply informed and heartfelt plea to terminate the Indian Act by transitioning to indigenous self government. Indigenous will and competence is more than ready to make it happen. It will take many years but is doable because the majority of non-indigenous Canadians are supportive. The sticking point is paying for it. Latter will not sign a blank cheque so transparency and accountability are crucial. More importantly self government must ultimately be self financing.

[lindsay.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great follow-up to the very successful 21 Things You May not Know about the Indian Act, by the same author. The book explains what self-government looks like, and describes how some Indigenous Nations in Canada are successfully self-governing. Includes lots of useful references and questions for discussion. Recommended reading for any Canadian.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading his book 21 things you may not know about the Indian Act I randomly turned to a page in this book and captured. I worked on Emergency Management and saw some of the very issues that I struggled with discussed. This is an optimistic book that shows that there is a path forward.

[Gayle Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in follow up to Valley of the Birdtail which introduced the concept of Indigenous Self-Government. This book explores how Indigenous Self-Government can be achieved. While I am not an expert on government law, this sounds to me to be a better version of democracy.

[Darjeeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book felt a bit long to me and slow. At various points I just wanted it to be done so I’d know what had happened. When I hit the end, however, the story was quite satisfying and not what I had expected. I’ve left it feeling it was a story well told.

[JW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a good conversation!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Audiobook] A short and educational listen about Indigenous self-government in Canada. Very accessible language.

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and informative— I understand that there wasnt room in this book but would like to have explored some concepts in more depth.

[Marc-André · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob Joseph’s keen ability to cut through the noise and explain things plainly is once again on full display in this book. An excellent introduction to a complex topic.

[Rachel :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this quickly for school didn’t help me with my in class essay thatttt much lol

[Jenny Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super informative and inspiring

[Rhia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone serious about reconciliation

[Mackenzie Skuce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enlightening read, probably something more Canadians should read

[Sophia Navarro Barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual examples of how to set up self-government agreements. Very hands on and in-depth.

[Christy Stef · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short yet impactful book filled with important information.

[Emilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful! An important read for people looking for reconciliation 4/5⭐️

[Russell Reitsema · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another well laid out book about good intentions as well as some concrete ideas. Worth a look.