Andrew Ambers is Kwakwaka’wakw from the ‘Namgis and Ma’amtagila First Nations. His primary research focus is concerned with recognizing and affirming aquatic Aboriginal rights through Indigenous legal orders, Canadian law, and international law. From jurisdictional issues to ownership claims, Ambers’ work on Indigenous internationalism provides strategy-driven approaches to affirm Aboriginal rights in ways that overturn the domestication of Indigenous rights in Canada. His publications on Indigenous internationalism and Indigenous international law surround core legal questions of jurisdiction, law-making, and decision-making within and beyond the territorial delimitations of Canada. Ambers’ projects collaborate with Indigenous nations / leaders, academics, and lawyers to offer community-based solutions to the fundamental legal issues that Indigenous communities are facing. He also holds various appointments at UVic, Aboriginal law firms and Indigenous organizations that are advocating for Aboriginal rights and implementing Indigenous laws into various decision-making regimes in British Columbia and across Canada. Ambers has been recognized for his research and community involvement, including by the British Columbia Political Studies Association and First Peoples Law LLP.

Education
• Bachelor of Arts (hons.), University of Victoria
• Juris Doctor (JD) Candidate, University of Victoria, Faculty of Law
• Juris Indigenarum Doctor (JID) Candidate, University of Victoria, Faculty of Law

Projects / Research Focus
• Global Indigenous Solidarity Movements in the 20th & 21st Centuries
• Coastal Indigenous Trade Networks on Vancouver Island: Histories & Futures of Indigenous Economies & Resource Use
• Indigenous Internationalism & Aboriginal Rights: Overturning the Domestication of s. 35
• Indigenous Ocean Occupation & WaterBack: Indigenous International Law of the Sea
• Indigenous International Law Colloquium

Selected Publications
• Ambers, Andrew, & Rachel yacaaʔał George. “Fluid Internationalisms: The Ocean as a Source and Forum of Indigenous International Law.” Borders in Globalization Review 5, no. 1 (2024). https://doi.org/10.18357/bigr51202421801.
• Ambers, Andrew. “From Aqua Nullius to WaterBack: Reading Seascapes to Affirm Aquatic Aboriginal Title Rights in Canada.” In Seascape Stories: Decolonial Water Relations, edited by Rachel yacaaʔał George, Jen Bagelman, and Sarah Marie Wiebe. University of British Columbia Press.
• Ambers, Andrew, & Jeff Corntassel. “Indigenous Internationalism and Kinship Diplomacy: The Relational Dimensions of Indigenous International Law.” Rooted: An Indigenous Law Journal.
• Ambers, Andrew, & Jeff Corntassel. “Indigenous Internationalism and Treaty Making: Challenging the Legal and Geopolitical Landscapes of the State.” In Indigenous Theories of International Law, edited by Jonathan Liljeblad, Brenda Gunn, Abadir Ibrahim, and Shea Esterling. Oxford University Press
• Corntassel, Jeff, Andrew Ambers, & Shane Baker. “Indigenous Internationalisms: Transcending State Borders through Community Diplomacies, Treaties, and Trade Networks.” In Non-state Actors, Diplomacies, and Canadian-Linked External Relationships, edited by Lana Wylie, Susan Henders, and Mary Young. University of Toronto Press.