Grand Chief Stewart Phillip is an

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part ...

Aboriginal leader who has served as President of the

Union of BC Indian Chiefs The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is a First Nations political organization founded in 1969 in response to Jean Chrétien's White Paper proposal to assimilate Status Indians and disband the Department of Indian Affairs. Since ...

since 1998. As Chief of the

Penticton Indian Band The Penticton Indian Band is a First Nations government in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located next to the city of Penticton in the Okanagan Valley. They are a member of the Okanagan Nation Alliance. It has an accredited High School ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

from 1994 until 2008, as well as Chair of the

Okanagan Nation Alliance The Okanagan Nation Alliance is a First Nations Tribal Council in the Canadian province of British Columbia, spanning the Nicola, Okanagan and Similkameen Districts of the Canadian province of British Columbia and also the Colville Indian Reserv ...

, he has advocated for Aboriginal rights for the

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 ...

in that province and particularly in the

region.Grand Chief Stewart Phillip
UBCIC Executive He was awarded the title Grand Chief by the Okanagan Nation in 2006 in honour of his lifetime of commitment to and work for Indigenous rights and title.

Activism

In 2002, Phillip drew media attention when he successfully forced a film project about the Aboriginal legend of the

Ogopogo In Canadian folklore, the Ogopogo is a lake monster said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. Some scholars have charted the entity's development from First Nations folklore and widespread water monster folklore motifs. The Ogopo ...

to be renamed '' Mee-Shee: The Water Giant''. He did this by claiming that "It's an international concern among indigenous people about the exploitation of spiritual entities... for commercial purposes." On November 26, 2014, Phillip told delegates at the B.C. Federation of Labour convention that he would get arrested as a matter of principle to protest

Kinder Morgan Kinder Morgan, Inc. is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. The company specializes in owning and controlling oil and gas pipelines and terminals. Kinder Morgan owns an interest in or operates approximately of ...

’s plans to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline. The following day Phillip joined protesters at a Kinder Morgan borehole site on

Burnaby Mountain Burnaby Mountain, elev. , is a low, forested mountain in the city of Burnaby, British Columbia, overlooking the upper arms of Burrard Inlet. It is the location of Simon Fraser University Burnaby Campus, the Discovery Park research community, and ...

, "We are making a very clear public statement that we do not support the Harper and Clark governments when it comes to resources," he said before his arrest. He has been arrested 4 other times while fighting for

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 ...

Awards

In 2017, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip and his wife, Joan Phillip, were awarded the Eugene Rogers Environmental Award by the

Wilderness Committee The Western Canada Wilderness Committee (often shortened to Wilderness Committee) is a non-profit environmental education organization that aims to protect Canada's wild spaces and species. Paul George, along with Richard Krieger, were the founding ...

"for their decades of commitment to preserving and protecting lands, waters and the environment for future generations." In November 2018, Phillip will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

Family

Phillip is married to Joan Phillip, who he describes as having "it all. Courage, principles, integrity, hard-working and dedicated." He also has 6 children, 15 grandchildren, and loves fishing, camping, and hunting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillip, Stewart Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Indigenous leaders in British Columbia People from Penticton Activists from British Columbia Indigenous rights activists