Shoulders of Giants

#365Indigenous: Jody Wilson Raybould – Puglaas

By Andrea Palframan / June 20, 2021 / Comments Off on #365Indigenous: Jody Wilson Raybould – Puglaas

Kwakwaka’wakw lawyer and MP Jody Wilson Raybould is a trailblazing Indigenous leader. Celebrating Puglaas, today and every day. #365indigenous

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#365indigenous: Marion Buller

By Andrea Palframan / June 20, 2021 / Comments Off on #365indigenous: Marion Buller

Marion Buller is a Cree woman and member of Mistawasis First Nation in Saskatchewan.  Buller was the first female Indigenous judge appointed to the British Columbia provincial court, where she served 22 years.  She established the First Nations Courts of British Columbia in 2006, a criminal sentencing court which uses restorative justice and traditional ways…

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#365indigenous: Murray Sinclair

By Andrea Palframan / June 20, 2021 / Comments Off on #365indigenous: Murray Sinclair

Murray Sinclair’s Ojibway name Mizanay Gheezhik:  “The One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky.” He grew up  on the former St. Peter’s Indian Reserve in the Selkirk area north of Winnipeg, Manitoba.  After being called to the bar in Manitoba in 1980, Sinclair worked to advance Aboriginal rights as a professor at the University…

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#365 Indigenous: Terri-Lynn(Lalaxaaygans) Williams-Davidson

By Andrea Palframan / June 20, 2021 / Comments Off on #365 Indigenous: Terri-Lynn(Lalaxaaygans) Williams-Davidson

Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson (Gid7ahl-Gudsllaay Lalaxaaygans) is a Haida musician, author, activist, artist, and lawyer who has dedicated herself to the continuation of Haida language and culture. Born and raised in Haida Gwaii, Williams-Davidson was given the name “Lalaxaaygans” – meaning  “Beautiful Sound” – by her maternal great-grandmother Susan Williams, who was a song custodian.  Through her…

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#365 Indigenous: Delia Opekokew

By Andrea Palframan / June 19, 2021 / Comments Off on #365 Indigenous: Delia Opekokew

Cree lawyer and writer Delia Opekokew is from Canoe Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. A residential school survivor, she blazed a trail as the first First Nations lawyer to ever be admitted to the bar association in Ontario and in Saskatchewan. Fresh out of law school she was a partner at Zlotkin & Opekokew,…

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#365 Indigenous: Ardith (Walpetko We’dalx) Walkem

By Andrea Palframan / June 18, 2021 / Comments Off on #365 Indigenous: Ardith (Walpetko We’dalx) Walkem

Ardith Walkem is a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation and grew up in Spence’s Bridge, Salmon Arm and Chilliwack.  A formidable force for justice, Walkem is the trailblazing first Indigenous woman to be appointed as a judge to the BC Supreme Court. Called to the bar in 1996, Walkem practiced with Cedar and Sage Law,…

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#365 Indigenous: John Borrows

By Andrea Palframan / June 16, 2021 / Comments Off on #365 Indigenous: John Borrows

Dr. John Borrows is Anishinaabe/Ojibway and a member of the Chippewa of the Nawash First Nation in Ontario, Canada.​​​  Borrows credits his mother with teaching him about Indigenous laws while he grew up near Cape Croker, on Georgian Bay in Ontario.  Borrows’ uncle was a former chief, a great-grandfather was a long-serving councillor, and his…

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Thomas Berger : A Giant in Advancing Indigenous Rights

By RAVEN / April 29, 2021 / Comments Off on Thomas Berger : A Giant in Advancing Indigenous Rights

Thomas Berger’s legendary career involved mentorship and support for generations of people who now stand strong in defence of Indigenous rights and environmental protection. We are incredibly grateful for his legacy.

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Su-á-pu-luck– A man on the threshold of change

By RAVEN / February 22, 2021 / Comments Off on Su-á-pu-luck– A man on the threshold of change

This is a guest post by Rachel Ivey,  graduate in Environmental Science McGill University. You can see the rest of the articles in this series about Indigenous justice champions here. The image is of what’s known as the Joe Capilano Blanket, which Su-á-pu-luck wore on his trip to England to lobby King Edward VII. In…

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An Intergenerational Legacy: Chiefs George and Arthur Manuel and the fight for Indigenous Rights

By RAVEN / January 5, 2021 / Comments Off on An Intergenerational Legacy: Chiefs George and Arthur Manuel and the fight for Indigenous Rights

Post submitted by Rachel Ivey, graduate in Environmental Science McGill University Have you heard about the Constitution Express?  While the building of the trans-Canada railways marked Canada’s establishment as a colonial nation, another cross-country odyssey marked the beginning of a sophisticated new Indigenous legal era.  Today, thanks to the historic Indigenous rights mobilization efforts of…

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