Eriel Tchekwie Deranger (born 1979) is a

Dënesųłiné The Chipewyan ( , also called ''Denésoliné'' or ''Dënesųłı̨né'' or ''Dënë Sųłınë́'', meaning "the original/real people") are a Dene Indigenous Canadian people of the Athabaskan language family, whose ancestors are identified ...

indigenous rights activist and climate activist. She is executive director of Indigenous Climate Action.

Career

Deranger worked as communications coordinator for the

Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN, chp, K'ai Taile Dené) is a band government. It represents local people of the Denesuline (Chipewyan) ethnic group. It controls eight Indian reserves: Chipewyan 201 and Chipewyan 201A through Chipew ...

beginning in 2011. She has also worked for

Rainforest Action Network Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is an environmental organization based in San Francisco, California, United States. The organization was founded by Randy "Hurricane" Hayes and Mike Roselle in 1985, and first gained national prominence with a gra ...

and

Sierra Club Canada Sierra Club Canada (SCC) is a Canadian environmental organization. Terry A. Simmons incorporated the Sierra Club BC in 1969, affiliating the local organization with the Sierra Club of the United States. Several members of the club were prominent ...

. Her work and activism has focused on the recognition of the sovereignty of the indigenous people of the

Treaty 8 Treaty 8, which concluded with the June 21, 1899 signing by representatives of the Crown and various First Nations of the Lesser Slave Lake area, is the most comprehensive of the one of eleven Numbered Treaties. The agreement encompassed a ...

area of

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 tota ...

. Deranger organized activism and indigenous protests against the expansion of the Athabasca oil sands in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. She was a founder of the

Tar Sands Healing Walk The Tar Sands Healing Walk was a 14 km annual prayer walk in demonstration against crude oil extraction in the Athabasca tar sands. It began in 2010, starting just north of the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta at a location known as the Sy ...

, an annual ceremony from 2010-2014. In 2015, Deranger was one of several cofounders of Indigenous Climate Action, an indigenous-led organization that argues that

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 (inc ...

and knowledge are a necessary part of addressing

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

and achieving

climate justice Climate justice is a concept that addresses the just division, fair sharing, and equitable distribution of the burdens of climate change and its mitigation and responsibilities to deal with climate change. "Justice", "fairness", and "equity" ar ...

. The organization also developed resources for indigenous communities facing the effects of climate change. In 2017, Deranger became executive director of Indigenous Climate Action.

Personal life

Deranger was born in 1979 and is

and a member of the

. Deranger's parents were members of the

American Indian Movement The American Indian Movement (AIM) is a Native American grassroots movement which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968, initially centered in urban areas in order to address systemic issues of poverty, discrimination, and police br ...

who met at the

Wounded Knee Occupation The Wounded Knee Occupation, also known as Second Wounded Knee, began on February 27, 1973, when approximately 200 Oglala Lakota (sometimes referred to as Oglala Sioux) and followers of the American Indian Movement (AIM) seized and occupied ...

. Deranger is married and has two children.

In media

Deranger was one of three activists profiled in the 2012 documentary

Elemental An elemental is a mythic being that is described in occult and alchemical works from around the time of the European Renaissance, and particularly elaborated in the 16th century works of Paracelsus. According to Paracelsus and his subsequent fol ...

, which depicts her opposition to the

Keystone Pipeline The Keystone Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States, commissioned in 2010 and owned by TC Energy and as of 31 March 2020 the Government of Alberta. It runs from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Alb ...

Selected publications

* Deranger, Eriel
Climate Emergency & the Colonial Response
''Yellowhead Institute,'' 2 July 2021. * Deranger, Eriel Tchekwie
The Green New Deal In Canada: Challenges For Indigenous Participation
''Yellowhead Institute,'' 15 July 2019. * Deranger, Eriel
I feel betrayed by the government and a system that has destroyed the spirit of my people
''Canada's National Observer,'' 24 April 2018. * Deranger, Eriel
The fight against tar sands is about more than the environment
''Red Pepper,'' 25 October, 2015.

References

External links

Indigenous Climate Action
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deranger, Eriel Living people Climate activists Indigenous rights activists 1979 births Dene people First Nations activists First Nations women in politics