Every civilisation tells stories. We tell stories to entertain, to teach, to warn. Some stories become fixed as books, films, and other media. Other stories pass from teller to listener, living on as long as they are told to a new generation. This workshop focused on how stories can be used as resources to formalise legal processes in indigenous communities. For each story, researchers focus on the main human problem the story explores. From there, they break the story down into its facts, identify how the main problem was resolved, and examine the reasoning behind the resolution.

Moving beyond the events of the story, we can see examples of how it teaches how a conflict emerges, plays out, and is resolved. It explains how two communities responded to a crisis, and the consequences of their actions. Taking yet another step back, we can see some guiding legal obligations, rights, and principles. Among them are the benefits of helping one another in times of need, the respect for sacred agreements, and the importance of group consultation when working on a treaty.

Stories can therefore provide a framework that people in a specific community can build on.