Marion Anderson, O.Ont (born c. 1900, died c. 1960) was a Canadian politician. In 1950, she became the first woman to serve as a

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 ...

band councillor in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

."Order of Ontario medal for first female band councillor"
, ''Windspeaker'', July 1998.

Life

Oji-Cree The Oji-Cree are a First Nation in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, residing in a narrow band extending from the Missinaibi River region in Northeastern Ontario at the east to Lake Winnipeg at the west. The Oji-Cree people are des ...

from the

Big Trout Lake Big Trout Lake is a large lake in Northern Ontario. The Fawn River (Ontario), Fawn River flows into it from the west and drains it from the east. The Indian reserve, reserve of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, also known as Big Trout ...

band in

Kenora District Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The district seat is the City of Kenora. It is geographically the largest division in Ontario: at , it covers 38 percent of the province's area, making it large ...

, Anderson worked as a

midwife A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...

and was renowned for her hunting, fishing and trapping skills. She also represented the community on the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council and walked 75 kilometres to Bearskin Lake to represent the community at meetings.

Awards

She was awarded the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...

in 1998.

References

1900s births 1960s deaths 20th-century Canadian politicians 20th-century Canadian women politicians 20th-century First Nations people Canadian midwives Canadian women in municipal politics First Nations women in politics Members of the Order of Ontario Oji-Cree people Ontario municipal councillors People from Kenora District Political office-holders of Indigenous governments in Canada Women in Ontario politics Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain {{Ontario-politician-stub