Johnny W. Abel (January 1, 1947 – October 13, 1995) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician, who represented the

electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

of Vuntut Gwitchin in the

Yukon Legislative Assembly The Yukon Legislative Assembly (french: Assemblée législative du Yukon) is the legislative assembly for Yukon, Canada. Unique among Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada, three territories, the Yukon Legislative Assembly is the only terri ...

from 1992 until his death in 1995. He was a member of the

Yukon Party The Yukon Party (french: Parti du Yukon) is a conservative political party in Yukon, Canada. It is the successor to the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party. Formation With Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative federal go ...

. He served as chief of the

Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation (VGFN) is a First Nation in the northern Yukon in Canada. Its main population centre is Old Crow. The language originally spoken by the people is Gwichʼin. Gwich'in Nation Vuntut Gwich'in refers specifically to th ...

from 1978 to 1984. Abel drowned in a canoeing accident in 1995. The film '' Arctic Son'' was inspired by a meeting between Andrew Walton and Johnny Abel.

References

1947 births 1995 deaths 20th-century First Nations people Accidental deaths in Yukon First Nations politicians Gwich'in people Indigenous leaders in Yukon Yukon Party MLAs {{Yukon-politician-stub