Elder Doreen Spence (born 1937) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

indigenous rights Indigenous rights are those rights that exist in recognition of the specific condition of the Indigenous peoples. This includes not only the most basic human rights of physical survival and integrity, but also the rights over their land (includ ...

activist. She founded several indigenous rights organisations in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

and advises international organisations in indigenous rights issues.

Life

Spence was born in the

Saddle Lake Cree Nation Saddle Lake Cree Nation ( cr, ᐅᓂᐦᒋᑭᐢᑿᐱᐏᓂᕽ, onihcikiskwapiwinihk) is a Plains Cree, First Nations community, located in the ''Amiskwacīwiyiniwak'' (" Beaver Hills") region of central Alberta, Canada. The Nation is a signator ...

in Alberta and was raised by her grandparents. At the age of 18, she moved to

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

to attend a Christian college. She was among the first indigenous women to receive a Practical Nursing Certificate, when she finished her education in 1959, leading to a career as a nurse that lasted over 40 years. As a nurse in the 1950s, she stood up against the

compulsory sterilization Compulsory sterilization, also known as forced or coerced sterilization, is a government-mandated program to involuntarily sterilize a specific group of people. Sterilization removes a person's capacity to reproduce, and is usually done throug ...

of an indigenous girl. She was involved in indigenous rights issues both in Canada all over the world. In Calgary, she founded the Calgary Urban Aboriginal Initiative in order to advise the city in indigenous rights issues. She served as president of the Plains Indian Cultural Survival School in Calgary, which was the first school run by and for indigenous people in an urban area in Canada. She was its president until 1993. She held several positions within municipal and regional advisory boards in Alberta; among others she was active from 1991 to 1993 in the Alberta Civil Liberties Association and from 1981 to 1993 the Committee Against Racism. She founded and directed the Canadian Indigenous Women's Resource Institute (CIWRI), which raises awareness with non-natives about native issues and educates natives in traditional knowledge. For the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

, she was the Canadian representative in the

Working Group on Indigenous Populations The Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) was a subsidiary body within the structure of the United Nations. It was established in 1982, and was one of the six working groups overseen by the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of ...

since July 1994. Together with others, she created the draft of the

Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP or DOTROIP) is a legally non-binding resolution passed by the United Nations in 2007. It delineates and defines the individual and collective rights of Indigenous peoples, including th ...

, which was eventually adopted in 2007. In 2002, she advised the Slovak government in their relationship to

Romani people in Slovakia According to the last census from 2021, there were 67,179 persons counted as Romani people in Slovakia, or 1,23% of the population. History Migration to Slovakia The first record of sightings of small groups of Romani within the area of prese ...

. Spence regularly speaks at international conferences. She is renowned for her speeches, which often include songs,

traditional knowledge Traditional knowledge (TK), indigenous knowledge (IK) and local knowledge generally refer to knowledge systems embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, indigenous, or local communities. According to the World Intellectual Property Organ ...

and encouragement for the audience to participate.

Awards

Among others, Spence received: * Chief David Crowchild Award 1992 * Alberta Human Rights Award 1993 * Nomination for the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

2005 as part of the

PeaceWomen Across the Globe PeaceWomen Across the Globe (PWAG), previously known as 1000 PeaceWomen, is an organization based in Bern, Switzerland that aims to increase the visibility of women promoting peace all over the world.

project *

Alberta Centennial Medal The Alberta Centennial Medal is a commemorative medal celebrating Alberta's first 100 years of participating in Canadian Confederation. History In 2005, the ''Alberta Centennial Medal Act'' established the Alberta Centennial Medal. Purpose The ...

2005 *

Indspire Awards The Indspire Awards, until 2012 the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, are annual awards presented by Indspire in Canada. The awards are intended to celebrate and encourage excellence in the Aboriginal community. About The awards were fir ...

2017 * Officer of the Order of Canada 2020

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, Doreen 1937 births Living people Indigenous rights activists Canadian civil rights activists Women civil rights activists Canadian women activists Cree people Officers of the Order of Canada Activists from Calgary