Gwendolyn Lucy O'Soup Crane (1930–2005) was Canada's first female First Nations Chief, and first elected. She was born on August 12, 1930, in

The Key First Nation The Key First Nation ( oj, Baakwaang) is a band government in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Their reserves include: * The Key 65 * Treaty Four Reserve Grounds 77, shared with 32 other bands. Chiefs This First nation band, led by Chief ''Ow-tah ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, and died on August 10, 2005, in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Indigenous Peoples History

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was a court-like restorative justice body assembled in South Africa in 1996 after the end of apartheid. Authorised by Nelson Mandela and chaired by Desmond Tutu, the commission invited witnesses w ...

94 Calls to Action are dependent on identifying and making publicly available the history and legacy of residential schools and the history of

Indigenous Peoples in Canada In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider them ...

. There is a lack of documentation for their history as it was one of forced assimilation by a dominant culture looking to erase those cultures, which means little may be available. Plus digitization efforts to date have not prioritized items under copyright nor non-mainstream cultures and languages, resulting in claims of digital or electronic colonialism. Thus the paucity of information and references for this notable Indigenous person who was publicly honoured by an Indigenous organization (

FSIN The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN, Russian: Федеральная служба исполнения наказаний (ФСИН), ''Federalnaya Sluzhba Ispolneniya Nakazaniy'') is a federal agency of the Ministry of Justice of Russia r ...

) for her lifetime achievements.

Early years

She was born Gwendolyn Lucy O'Soup in 1930. Her brothers and sisters include Raymond Brass, Frances Crowfoot, and Geraldine Wardman.

Personal life

She married Clifford Crane of the Key First Nation after his service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and raised nine children, Terry, Dennis (residential school specialist and later, Chief), Garda, Gilda, Trent, Brenda, Joy, Karen, and Cliff. Norman predeceased his parents in 1956 at just over 2 years of age. She lived in Moose Jaw (1961–67) and Edmonton (1967-84) with most of her children before returning to the reserve to retire. Gwen Crane was a lifetime member of the Anglican Church and sat on the national Anglican Council for Indigenous People (ACIP). "She spent the last few years trying to convince the province and the federal government to recognize the old St. Andrew's Anglican Church, which was built by members on the reserve in 1885, as a historical monument." Kookum grandmother"to Corey O'Soup, the first Advocate for Children and Youth for the province of

with Indigenous heritage.

Career

At the age of 24 she was nominated for the position of Chief and won by three votes in December 1954, becoming Canada's first female, First Nations Chief and first elected under the current electoral system. There are reputed to be other female Chiefs pre-contact but the colonial, male dominated culture refused to deal with women, and thus the decline in balanced leadership until her win. Political service was limited to a two-year term at the time, which she fulfilled (1954–56). Her mandate was Indigenous education and revitalizing a health care centre (Union Hospital) in Norquay, and that "our main thrust is to get the Indians working together in harmony." She was a seamstress in a clothing factory in Moose Jaw. She was also the first woman porter at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton. She is reported to have also cleaned buses and did housecleaning while living in Edmonton.

Awards

Honoured by the

Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), formerly known as the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, is a Saskatchewan-based First Nations organization. It represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan and is committed to honouring ...

Chiefs Assembly for her lifetime achievements.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crane, Gwendolyn First Nations women Indigenous leaders in Canada 1930 births 2005 deaths