Delia Opekokew is a

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations. In Canada, over 350,000 people are Cree o ...

lawyer and writer from the Canoe Lake First Nation in

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 ...

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 to ...

. She was the first

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 ...

woman lawyer to ever be admitted to the bar association 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 ...

and in

,Delia Opekokew
at the Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. as well as the first woman ever, to run for the leadership of 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, ...

. Delia Opekokew experienced residential schools first hand during her childhood, at both

Beauval Indian Residential School Beauval Indian Residential School (1895–1983) near the northern village of Beauval, Saskatchewan was a Canadian residential school operated by the Roman Catholic Church for First Nations children. It was run by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Im ...

and Lebret Indian Residential School. Delia Opekokew is an accomplished women in the field of Indigenous activism and has paved the way for numerous Indigenous women to follow in her footsteps. She has received many awards, including; The Aboriginal Achievement Award, Women's Law Association of Ontario Presidents award, Law Society of Ontario Medal and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Lifetime Achievement Award.

Early life and education

A member of the Cree First Nation band, Delia Opekokew was born on the Canoe Lake Reserve in Northern Saskatchewan. Delia is the third of eight children born to her parents Marguerite and Jules Opekokew. Delia Opekokew lived on the Canoe Lake Reserve until age 8, she then attended the

, located on what is now the

English River Dene Nation The English River Dene Nation is a Dene First Nation band government in Patuanak, Saskatchewan, Canada. Their reserve is in the northern section of the province. Its territories are in the boreal forest of the Canadian Shield. This First Nation ...

. It was not until her attendance at this school that Opekokew learned English, although she managed to maintain her knowledge of the

Cree language Cree (also known as Cree– Montagnais– Naskapi) is a dialect continuum of Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories to Alberta to Labrador. If considered one language, it is th ...

as a student. Following elementary school, Opekokew moved to the Lebret Indian Residential School. where she completed her high school education. Opekokew attended both schools ten months a year, and only returned home during the holiday where, as the oldest daughter, Opekokew would primarily assist her mother in taking care of their large family. After completing her primary and secondary education, Opekokew pursued undergraduate studies at the University of Winnipeg, where she received a bursary for first year students with distinction., and in 1977 she graduated from

Osgoode Hall Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original -storey building was started in 1829 and finished in 1832 from a design by John Ewart and William Warren Baldwin. The structure is named for William Osgood ...

Law School in Toronto with a Bachelor of Laws.

Career

Early career

Her first job was as a clerk typist, with the province of Saskatchewan in the Agriculture Department. In 1967 Opekokew then became the first woman to sit on the executive of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians as secretary. Delia then went on to work as an administrative assistance for

Buffy Sainte-Marie Buffy Sainte-Marie, (born Beverly Sainte-Marie, February 20, 1941) is an Indigenous Canadian-American (Piapot Cree Nation) singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. While working in these ar ...

in New York, before choosing to pursue her law career.

Legal career

Following her graduation from law school, Opekokew was the first Indigenous woman admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1979 and to the Bar of Saskatchewan in 1983. During law school she worked for a number of groups, such as the National Indian Brotherhood and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians. From 1979 to 1980, as a partner at Zlotkin & Opekokew, she practiced civil and family law before acting as legal counsel to the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations from 1980 to 1985. She later became an associate with Blaney, McMurty, and Stapells where she worked from 1985 to 1990. Subsequently, she began practicing as a sole practitioner, with a specialization in Indigenous treaty rights and Aboriginal Law. In 1992, Ms. Opekokew presided as one of three chairpeople on the commission of inquiry into the death of Leo Lachance in ''Royal Canadian Mounted Police v. Saskatchewan (Commission of Inquiry)''. Opekokew also notably represented the Canoe Lake Cree Peoples in their successful land claim, and Anthony O’brien “Dudley” George who was killed in the

Ipperwash Crisis The Ipperwash Crisis was a dispute over Indigenous land that took place in Ipperwash Provincial Park, Ontario, in 1995. Several members of the Stoney Point Ojibway band occupied the park to assert claim to nearby land which had been expropriated ...

Activism and Indigenous Community Involvement

In 1994 Opekokew became the first woman to run for Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations' 1994 leadership convention. She lost to

Ovide Mercredi Ovide William Mercredi (born January 30, 1946) is a Canadian politician. He is Cree and a former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. He is also the former president of the Manitoba New Democratic Party. Early life and career A C ...

. In July 1998 she returned to the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians as their general council. She then proceeded to act as an adjudicator with the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Process (IRSAP), from 2004 to 2009. This was part of the larger Independent Assessment Process (IAP) under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA). Ms. Opekokew was promoted to Deputy Chief Adjudicator under IRSAP in 2009 and remained in this role until December 2017. During her time as Deputy Chief Adjudicator Ms. Opekokew maintained her private practice in Saskatchewan. She was also one of the vice-presidents of the

Canadian Civil Liberties Association The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA; french: Association Canadienne des Libertés Civiles) is a nonprofit organization in Canada devoted to the defence of civil liberties and constitutional rights.Dominique ClementCase Study: Canadian ...

for several years.

Awards

*2009 - Aboriginal Achievement Award The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation Award is awarded to individuals that make astounding achievements for themselves and Indigenous communities. Delia stated that it was her upbringing that led her to her work as an indigenous lawyer that earned her this prestigious award. “For demonstrating commitment to the elimination of hate and racism in Canadian society, having served with honour in the Indigenous community, by promoting the fundamental values of equality and respect for diversity and human rights.” As stated on the award received National aboriginal Achievement Award was Awarded to Delia Opekokew in 2009 for her continued work in combating racism not only for Indigenous populations but many minorities. *2012 - Women's Law Association of Ontario President's Award Women's law Association of Ontario President's Award is given to Women who have made significant contributions to the law community. This award caters to women who work within the law community and work to promote other women in the industry. Delia was nominated by Beth Symes and won based on her work and contributions for Indigenous women especially within the field of law. *2013 - Law Society of Ontario Medal The Law Society of Ontario Medal is awarded to anyone who displays exemplar work ethic or body of work within the community of Law. Recipients display the "highest ideals of the legal profession" *2016 - Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations lifetime achievement award The FSIN Lifetime achievement award is awarded to individuals who display excellence across their lifetime, whether that pertains to an individual's career, philanthropy, or lifetime achievements. *2019 Law Society of Ontario, presentation of a degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LLD)

Publications

* * *''The First Nations: Indian government and the Canadian Confederation.'' Federation of Saskatchewan Indians. 1980. *''Indians of Canada seek a special status.'' American Indian Journal. 1980. *''The treaty right to education in Saskatchewan.'' The Windsor yearbook of access to justice. 1992.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Opekokew, Delia Cree people Women in Saskatchewan politics Writers from Saskatchewan Living people Lawyers in Saskatchewan Lawyers in Ontario Canadian women lawyers First Nations lawyers First Nations women in politics Indspire Awards Year of birth missing (living people)