Indigenous People | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Displaying 46-60 of 82 results

  • Article

    John Brant (Ahyonwaeghs)

    John Brant (Ahyonwaeghs), Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) Grand Chief, Indian Superintendent (born 27 September 1794 near Brantford, ON; died 27 August 1832 near Brantford, ON). John Brant was the son of Joseph Brant, Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) chieftain and the first Indigenous person to receive a commission in the British Army, as a captain in 1757. Brant was also the nephew of Robert Johnson Kerr, who was the son of Major General Sir William Johnson and brother-in-law of Joseph Brant.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/cfac3a97-835e-4f71-afd4-2afa69cd9c84.jpg John Brant (Ahyonwaeghs)

  • Article

    John Callihoo

    John Callihoo, politician, Indigenous-rights leader (born on Michel First Nation, Alberta 1882; died in St Albert, Alberta 11 Aug 1957). Of Haudenosaunee-Cree descent and self-educated, he was a freighter and then a farmer, but his leadership capabilities soon made him a rallying point for Indigenous causes.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 John Callihoo

  • Article

    Judy Gingell

    Judy B. Gingell (née Smith), CM, OY, First Nations leader, Commissioner of Yukon, Elder (born 26 November 1946 near Rancheria, YT). Elder Judy Gingell is an Elder and member of Kwanlin Dün First Nation (see also First Nations in Yukon). For decades, Gingell has been a leader working to advance Indigenous rights in Yukon. She has held executive positions in several First Nations organizations. As chair of the Council for Yukon Indians (now Council of Yukon First Nations), Gingell negotiated and signed agreements to grant First Nations in Yukon land and self-government claims (see also Self-Governing First Nations in Yukon). She was the first Indigenous person appointed as Commissioner of Yukon. 

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    https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Judy Gingell

  • Article

    Leroy Little Bear

    Leroy Robert Little Bear, OC, AOE, Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) educator, lawyer, advocate, speaker, author, political activist (born c. 1943 at Blood Indian Reserve, AB). Leroy Little Bear has advised the United Nations, many First Nations and the federal and provincial governments on matters related to the constitution, Indigenous Title, justice and the restoration of the buffalo.

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    https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Leroy Little Bear

  • Article

    Deskaheh

    Deskaheh (also known as Levi General), Cayuga (Gayogohó:no') chief and speaker of the Six Nations Hereditary Council (born in 1873 on the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, ON; died on 25 June 1925 at the Tuscarora Reservation, New York). A member of the Longhouse religion, Deskaheh insisted that the Six Nations retain their languages and distinctive culture.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/17f95d34-9527-484a-990a-1dfca38335bf.jpg Deskaheh

  • Article

    Lillian Dyck

    Lillian Eva Quan Dyck, OC, scholar, feminist, senator, advocate for Indigenous rights (born 24 August 1945 in North Battleford, SK). Lillian Dyck was the first Indigenous woman in Canada to earn a PhD in science. She was also the first Indigenous female senator and the first Chinese Canadian senator. During her time in the Senate, she was part of several actions to improve life for Indigenous people in Canada. This includes work on criminal justice and Indigenous education reform, and bills to reinstate Indian Status to women who had lost it based on sexist laws. Dyck was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2021.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/LillianDyck/LillianDyck.jpg Lillian Dyck

  • Article

    Maisie Hurley

    Maisie Hurley, née Maisie Amy Campbell-Johnston, Vancouver-area political activist, Indigenous ally (see Indigenous Peoples in Canada), newspaper founder and art collector (born 27 November 1887 in Swansea, Wales; died 3 October 1964 in North Vancouver, British Columbia). Although Hurley had no formal legal training or law degree (see Legal Education), she worked on several legal cases and advocated for Indigenous peoples’ basic human rights as well as for changes to the Indian Act. In 1946, Hurley started a newspaper called The Native Voice that aimed to bring attention to important issues concerning Indigenous communities across Canada (see Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada). In 2011, Hurley’s collection of Indigenous art was displayed at the North Vancouver Museum. 

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/Untitled-11.jpg Maisie Hurley

  • Article

    Marie-Anne Day Walker-Pelletier

    Marie-Anne Day Walker-Pelletier, CM, chief (born 15 April 1954 in Regina, SK). Day Walker-Pelletier is the longest-serving elected chief in Canadian history. She was chief of Okanese First Nation, located near Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, from 1981 to 2020. During her long career, Day Walker-Pelletier accomplished many goals, including establishing the structure, instruments and policies of governance for Okanese First Nation. She also took part in numerous projects related to wellness, social reform and education, focusing primarily on providing support to vulnerable women and children. Day Walker-Pelletier has been a strong advocate for preserving the language, traditions, and treaty rights of Okanese First Nation.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/MarieAnneDayWalkerPelletier/CanadaPostDayWalkerPelletier.png Marie-Anne Day Walker-Pelletier

  • Article

    Mary Simon

    Mary Jeannie May Simon (Ningiukudluk); diplomat, civil servant, (born 21 August 1947 in Kangirsualujjuaq, Nunavik, QC). Simon is an advocate for international cooperation in the Arctic and Indigenous education and rights. She has held multiple roles in the civil service, including secretary and co-director of policy of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, secretary to the board of directors of the Northern Quebec Inuit Association, and member of the Nunavut Implementation Commission. She was also the first vice president of the Makivik Corporation and the first Inuk in Canada to hold the rank of ambassador. Simon has served as the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and of what is now the Inuit Circumpolar Council. On 26 July 2021, Simon became Canada’s 30th Governor General and the first Indigenous person to serve in that role.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/MarySimon2.jpg Mary Simon

  • Article

    McIvor Case

    The McIvor v. Canada case was about gender discrimination in section 6 of the 1985 Indian Act, which deals with Indian status. Sharon McIvor — a woman who regained status rights after the passing of Bill C-31 in 1985 — was not able to pass on those rights to her descendants in the same way that a man with status could. In her case against the federal government, the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that section 6 did, in fact, deny McIvor’s equality rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In response to this case, the federal government introduced new legislation (Bill C-3) in 2011 to counter gender discrimination in the Indian Act.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/McIvorCase/McIvor.jpg McIvor Case

  • Article

    Melanie Mark

    Melanie Joy Mark (also known as Hli Haykwhl Ẃii Xsgaak), politician, leader (born 17 October 1975 in Vancouver, BC). Melanie Mark is the first First Nations woman elected as a Member of British Columbia’s Legislative Assembly and the first First Nations woman to serve as a cabinet minister. Mark, the granddaughter of residential school survivors, is of Nisga'a, Gitxsan, Cree, Ojibwe, French and Scottish ancestry. Her Nisga’a name is Hli Haykwhl Ẃii Xsgaak, which means “the eagle that passes on to the next generation.” As a candidate of the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP), Mark was elected in 2016 as the MLA for the Vancouver-Mount Pleasant riding. She subsequently won provincial elections in 2017 and 2020. Mark has been outspoken about the challenges of growing up in poverty, being raised by a single mother and about her time in the foster care system. In 2017, Mark was appointed to cabinet as the Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, and later became the Minister of Tourism, Art, Culture and Sport in 2020. She resigned as an MLA in February 2023. 

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/MelanieMark/Melanie_Mark_Family_image_resized.jpg Melanie Mark

  • Article

    Michelle O’Bonsawin

    Michelle O’Bonsawin, justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, lawyer, law professor (born in 1974 in Hanmer, Ontario). Michelle O’Bonsawin was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on 1 September 2022, making her the first Indigenous justice to serve on the Court. An Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation, O’Bonsawin is also Franco-Ontarian. She is known for her expertise on matters relating to Indigenous law and legal issues — in particular the Gladue principles — as well as labour, mental health and privacy issues.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/michelle-obonsawin-rr-hr.jpg Michelle O’Bonsawin

  • Article

    Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada

    Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada (MMIWG) refers to a human rights crisis that has only recently become a topic of discussion within national media. Indigenous women and communities, women’s groups and international organizations have long called for action into the high and disproportionate rates of violence and the appalling numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada. Prior to the launch of the national public inquiry on 8 December 2015, these calls were continually ignored by the federal government. Described by some as a hidden crisis, Dawn Lavell-Harvard, former president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, refers to MMIWG as a national tragedy and a national shame. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada supported the call for a national public inquiry into the disproportionate victimization of Indigenous women and girls. The National Inquiry’s Final Report was completed and presented to the public on 3 June 2019.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/2a243145-5d5c-42f2-a98f-bcda497ab7dc.jpg Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada

  • Article

    Mumilaaq Qaqqaq

    Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, Inuk Member of Parliament (born 4 November 1993 in Baker Lake, NU). In 2019, Qaqqaq became, at age 25, Nunavut’s youngest MP in history, and the first from the New Democratic Party (NDP) since Nunavut became a territory in 1999. Before entering politics, Qaqqaq was a public speaker and activist who raised awareness of the various crises that Inuit face (suicide, food insecurity, housing, climate).

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/new_article_images/MumilaaqQaqqaq/Mumilaaq_Qaqqaq_CBC_image.jpeg Mumilaaq Qaqqaq

  • Article

    Murray Sinclair

    Murray Sinclair or Mizanay (Mizhana) Gheezhik, meaning “The One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky” in the Ojibwe language, lawyer, judge and senator (born in 1951 in Selkirk, MB). Called to the Manitoba Bar in 1980, Sinclair focused primarily on civil and criminal litigation, Indigenous law and human rights. In 1988, he became Manitoba’s first, and Canada’s second, Indigenous judge. Sinclair joined the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2009, before becoming a senator in 2016. He retired from the Senate in 2021 but continues to mentor Indigenous lawyers. The breadth of public service and community work completed by Sinclair demonstrates his commitment to Indigenous peoples in Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/murray_sinclair_crop.jpg Murray Sinclair