George Manuel
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George Manuel, OC (February 21, 1921 – November 15, 1989,
Secwépemc The Secwépemc ( ; Secwepemc: or ), known in English as the Shuswap people , are a First Nations people residing in the interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia. They speak one of the Salishan languages, known as Secwepemc or Shu ...
) was an Aboriginal 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 ...
. Born and raised in British Columbia, he became politically active there and in Alberta. In 1970 he was elected and served until 1976 as chief of the
National Indian Brotherhood 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, wh ...
(known today as the Assembly of First Nations). In 1975 he founded and became president of the
World Council of Indigenous Peoples The World Council of Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) was a formal international body dedicated to having concepts of aboriginal rights accepted on a worldwide scale. The WCIP had observer status in the United Nations, a secretariat based in Canada and r ...
, serving until 1981. Reflecting on his work with indigenous peoples across the Americas, he wrote ''The Fourth World: An Indian Reality'' (1975), exploring the effects of waves of European immigration on these peoples. In his later years, he 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 ...
, 1979 through 1981.


Biography

Manuel was born to Maria and Rainbow in 1921, on the Secwepemc territory of the Shuswap people in British Columbia. Maria later married Louie Manuel, and George took his stepfather's last name. He was first educated at the
Kamloops Indian Residential School The Kamloops Indian Residential School was part of the Canadian Indian residential school system. Located in Kamloops, British Columbia, it was once the largest residential school in Canada, with its enrolment peaking at 500 in the 1950s. The sc ...
. After contracting
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
(which had no effective antibiotic treatment at the time), he was transferred to an Indian TB hospital on an Indian reservation near
Chilliwack, British Columbia Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake, British Columbia, Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park ...
. There Manuel met Marceline Paul (
Kootenai The Kutenai ( ), also known as the Ktunaxa ( ; ), Ksanka ( ), Kootenay (in Canada) and Kootenai (in the United States), are an indigenous people of Canada and the United States. Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, northern ...
) from St. Mary's Indian Band. They later married and had six children together.


Political career

Manuel became involved in indigenous politics and his increasing responsibilities strained his marriage. He was elected chief of the
Neskonlith Indian Band The Neskonlith Indian Band (sometimes Neskainlith) is a First Nations government in the Canadian province of British Columbia located in the Shuswap district east of Kamloops. It is a member of the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council, one of two mai ...
. In 1959, following the death of his mentor
Andy Paull Andy Paull, (Andrew Paull, Xwechtáal, Xwupúkinem, Quitchtaal) (February 6, 1892 – July 28, 1959) was a Squamish leader, activist, coach, and lawyer. Early life and family Born to Dan Paull and Theresa Paull (née Lacket-Joe) of a prominent fa ...
, Manuel was elected head of the
North American Indian Brotherhood North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' i ...
. Soon after, he and Marceline separated. Not long after this, the federal
Department of Indian Affairs Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
hired Manuel for a position with the
Cowichan Tribes Cowichan Tribes ( hur, Quw’utsun) is the band government of the Cowichan, a group of Coast Salish peoples who live in the Cowichan Valley region on Vancouver Island. With over 3,800 registered members, it is the single largest First Nations ban ...
government at Duncan. Manuel worked as a Community Development Officer. In addition to assisting the tribe, he also worked to increase wider awareness in the government and society of the problems and conditions faced by the Cowichan people. Manuel next worked for the Alberta Brotherhood, which represented indigenous peoples in the province. There he developed a strong working relationship with political leader
Harold Cardinal Harold Cardinal (January 27, 1945 – June 3, 2005) was a Cree writer, political leader, teacher, negotiator, and lawyer. Throughout his career he advocated, on behalf of all First Nation peoples, for the right to be "the red tile in the Can ...
(
Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...
). In this position, Manuel met and worked extensively with chiefs across Canada, becoming familiar with a wide range of issues. Cardinal encouraged Manuel to run for national chief of the newly created
National Indian Brotherhood 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, wh ...
, a body that would represent almost 250,000 'status Indians' in Canada. Manuel served as its first national chief from 1970 to 1976. (In the early 1980s the National Indian Brotherhood changed its system of representation, relying on chiefs of First Nations rather than representatives from regional organizations, and developing a more direct relationship with the Nations. To reflect this, it renamed itself in 1982 as the Assembly of First Nations.) In 1975 Manuel helped found and was elected as the president of the
World Council of Indigenous Peoples The World Council of Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) was a formal international body dedicated to having concepts of aboriginal rights accepted on a worldwide scale. The WCIP had observer status in the United Nations, a secretariat based in Canada and r ...
, serving in this position until 1981. In this role he travelled internationally, meeting with and advocating for the
indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
people of nations of South America, such as
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, and
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
. He had begun to think deeply about the effects of successive waves of European expansion on Indigenous societies in the Americas, and considered these native peoples together as "the Fourth World." They had numerous experiences in common in terms of having to adapt to colonisation and its aftermath. Manuel wrote a book, ''The Fourth World: An Indian Reality'', expanding on this idea, co-written with
Michael Posluns Michael Posluns (1941 - January 10, 2020) was a journalist and researcher in Canada. While a student at Carleton University, Posluns got involved in social justice issues, later joining the Company of Young Canadians. He went to Akwesasne where he ...
; it was published in 1975. George Manuel was 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 ...
(UBCIC) from 1979 to 1981, where he continued to inspire indigenous action. He developed the Aboriginal Rights Position Paper and organized what came to be regarded as one of the UBCIC's most ambitious projects: the Indian Constitutional Express. Under his leadership, the UBCIC gained esteem both from the indigenous people for whom it was created, and gained stature from the general public.


Legacy and honours

* He was made an Officer 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 ...
* He was repeatedly recognized for his international work by the World Council of Indigenous Peoples. * In 1983 he received an honorary degree 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 ...
,
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
. * In 1984, Manuel and Dr. Rudolph C. Ryser formed the
Center for World Indigenous Studies The Center for World Indigenous Studies (CWIS) is an independent, Nonprofit 501(c)3 founded in 1979 by Rudolph C. Ryser, PhD (Oneida/Cree) and Chief George Manuel (Secwepemc). CWIS is a global community of Indigenous Studies activists and scholars  ...
. His sons
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
and Arthur Manuel (enrolled Secwepemc like their father) also became active in indigenous politics. His eldest daughter Vera Manuel became an internationally known playwright, and poet. She is also highly respected leader in the community. His younger daughter Doreen Manuel is a film maker.


References


Further reading

* McFarlane, Peter, "Brotherhood to Nationhood: George Manuel and the Making of the Modern Indian Movement," (Toronto : Between the Lines, 1993), * *


External links


The George Manuel Institute

Michael Posluns fonds
Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections,
York University Libraries York University Libraries (YUL) is the library system of York University in Toronto, Ontario. The four main libraries and one archives contain more than 2,500,000 volumes. History The first York library opened in 1961 at Glendon College and ...
. (includes correspondence, recordings and other material related to Manuel's collaboration with Michael Posluns on ''The Fourth World''.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel, George 1921 births 1989 deaths 20th-century First Nations people Assembly of First Nations chiefs Indigenous leaders in British Columbia Officers of the Order of Canada Secwepemc people