Noel Victor Starblanket (September 26, 1946 – April 15, 2019) was a Canadian politician. For two terms from 1976 to 1980 he was chief of the National Indian Brotherhood (today known as the

Assembly of First Nations The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is an assembly of Canadian First Nations (Indian bands) represented by their chiefs. Established in 1982 and modelled on the United Nations General Assembly, it emerged from the National Indian Brotherhood, ...

Early years and education

Born at Fort Qu'Appelle Indian Hospital in

Fort Qu'Appelle Fort Qu'Appelle is a town in Canadian province of Saskatchewan located in the Qu'Appelle River valley north-east of Regina, between Echo and Mission Lakes of the Fishing Lakes. It is not to be confused with the once-significant nearby t ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in 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 the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

, he was a Cree from the Starblanket Indian Reserve near

Balcarres, Saskatchewan Balcarres ( ); 2006 population 598) is a town located in southern Saskatchewan, Canada along Highway 10 and Highway 22, approximately 85 km northeast of Regina. Highway 619 and Highway 310 are nearby highways to this community. Nei ...

, in

Treaty 4 Treaty 4 is a treaty established between Queen Victoria and the Cree and Saulteaux First Nation band governments. The area covered by Treaty 4 represents most of current day southern Saskatchewan, plus small portions of what are today western M ...

territory. Starblanket spent eleven years at

Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School (Q.I.R.S.) or Qu'Appelle Industrial School was a Canadian residential school in the Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan. As one of the early residential schools in western Canada, it was operated from 1884 to 1969 ...

and was abused while there. Some of his memories are recorded in ''The Survivors Speak: a report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada'' and the e-boo
''Shattering the Silence''
Additionally, Regina filmmaker Trudy Stewart produced a short

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

, ''From Up North''. Starblanket attended law school at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

Career

In 1971, at age 24, Starblanket became one of the youngest reserve chiefs in Canada. He was elected Third Vice-Chief of the Executive of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians (FSIN) and Director of Treaty Rights and Research. In 1975, he was elected president of the National Indian Brotherhood and was re-elected in 1978. As part of the " Indian Film Crew", an early effort in Indigenous filmmaking at the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

(NFB), Starblanket was one of the filmmakers (with Mike Mitchell) on the 1969 documentary film, '' You Are on Indian Land,'' and worked on the Ballad of Crowfoot, among other

In 1973, the NFB released a 27-minute film,
Starblanket
'. in which, starting at 19:25 he discusses his desire in to start a farm for reserve members (see SIAP,

Federation of Sovereign Indigenous 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 ...

). Starblanket was asked to consider the position of Assistant Deputy Minister of Indian Affairs in 1980. He spoke at the economics conference at the World Assembly of First Nations when President of the National Indian Business Association (NIBA). Starblanket, Morley Watson and Vern Bellegarde envisioned a Native hockey team and spurred the formation of the

Lebret Eagles The Lebret Eagles were a Junior "A" team based in Lebret, Saskatchewan, Canada. They used to be members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. History The Lebret Eagles played 8 seasons in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League: 1993 - 2001. ...

." In March 2001 he gave the keynote speech at the annual conference of the Association of Death Education and Counseling. In 2001 he was interviewed for a project and the documentary, Starblanket: A Spirit Journey was later produced. In 2018, Starblanket became Elder-in-residence at

Scott Collegiate Scott Collegiate is a public high school located in the North Central neighbourhood of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. OPerated by Regina Public Schools, it is named for Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 Septe ...

, a high school in Regina. He worked with the

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public university, public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the Unive ...

's Office of Indigenization.Speaking
January 13, 2019.

Personal life and demise

Starblanket died at age 72 on April 15, 2019 at a hospital in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 census, Regina had a city populatio ...

, from complications of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

References

External links

Past National Chiefs of NIB/AFN

Watch the documentary ''Starblanket'' at NFB.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starblanket, Noel 1946 births 2019 deaths Assembly of First Nations chiefs Cree people Indigenous leaders in Saskatchewan

Early years and education

Career

Personal life and demise

Further reading

References

External links