The Doctrine of Discovery is a legal and religious principle, developed in the 15th century, that gave European colonial powers the “right” to claim lands they "discovered" that were not inhabited by Christians. It was based on papal decrees, such as the 1493 papal bull Inter Caetera, which supported European explorers in claiming non-Christian lands. This doctrine justified the colonization and exploitation of Indigenous peoples and their territories, as it deemed Indigenous inhabitants as having no legal or property rights to their lands. The Doctrine of Discovery has had lasting impacts, contributing to centuries of dispossession and marginalization of Indigenous populations globally, particularly in the Americas, Africa, and Australia.

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Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery by the Assembly of First Nations