John Baptiste Tootoosis (July 18, 1899 Poundmaker Reserve, Saskatchewan – February 1, 1989) was a prominent Cree

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

leader in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He is the grandson of Yellow Mud Blanket, the brother of legendary Cree leader

Pitikwahanapiwiyin Pîhtokahanapiwiyin ( – 4 July 1886), also known as Poundmaker, was a Plains Cree chief known as a peacemaker and defender of his people, the Poundmaker Cree Nation. His name denotes his special craft at leading buffalo into buffalo poun ...

, also known as Poundmaker.

Early life and family

Tootoosis was born on the Poundmaker Reserve in Saskatchewan to Mary Theresa and John Tootoosis. He grew up in a close-knit family, but at the age of 13 was sent away to attend the Thunderchild Residential School, also known as the Delmas Residential School, a Roman Catholic residential school located near

North Battleford North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the Town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The Batt ...

, Saskatchewan. He returned to the reserve at the age of 17 where his father began to get him involved in the community's political life. He married Louisa Angus from Thunderchild in 1929. She died in 1987. They had ten sons and three daughters and many of their children and grandchildren were involved in cultural and artistic practice. His son

Gordon Tootoosis Gordon Tootoosis, (October 25, 1941 – July 5, 2011) was a First Nations actor of Cree and Stoney descent. Tootoosis was a descendant of Yellow Mud Blanket, brother of the famous Cree leader Pîhtokahanapiwiyin. He was acclaimed for his comm ...

was a well-known actor. His son Wilfred Tootoosis was a performer and storyteller. His daughter Jean Cuthand Goodwill was the first indigenous woman to graduate from a nursing program in Saskatchewan and wrote a biography on Tootoosis. His grandson Tyrone Tootoosis was an activist, story keeper and actor and was awarded the Canadian Diamond Jubilee medal.

Career

Tootoosis was appointed chief of his band by his community in 1920. His leadership was not recognized by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs, the branch of government responsible for reserves as the Indian Act dictated that a chief had to be 25 and another chief was chosen. Despite this Tootoosis continued to assert a leadership position. Upon the formation of the Union of Saskatchewan Indians in 1946, he served as its president and later as a member of the executive. In 1959, the union was reorganized as 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 honouri ...

(FSIN), and Tootoosis became its first president. In 1970, he was appointed to the federation's newly formed senate, and served in this capacity for the next 19 years. In recognition of his work and his devotion to "...seeking answers to the grave problems of his people" he became a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

in 1986. Tootoosis died on February 2, 1989.

Early life and family

Career

References

Further reading