Elder Doreen Spence (born 1937) is a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

indigenous rights activist. She founded several indigenous rights organisations in

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

and advises international organisations in indigenous rights issues.

Life

Spence was born in the

Saddle Lake Cree Nation Saddle Lake Cree Nation () is a Plains Cree, First Nations community, located in the ''Amiskwacīwiyiniwak'' (" Beaver Hills") region of central Alberta, Canada. The Nation is a signatory to Treaty 6, and their traditional language is Plains Cr ...

in Alberta and was raised by her grandparents. At the age of 18, she moved to

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

to attend a Christian college. She was among the first indigenous women to receive a Practical Nursing Certificate, when she finished her education in 1959, leading to a career as a nurse that lasted over 40 years. As a nurse in the 1950s, she stood up against the

compulsory sterilization Compulsory sterilization, also known as forced or coerced sterilization, refers to any government-mandated program to involuntarily sterilize a specific group of people. Sterilization removes a person's capacity to reproduce, and is usually do ...

of an indigenous girl. She was involved in indigenous rights issues both in Canada all over the world. In Calgary, she founded the Calgary Urban Aboriginal Initiative in order to advise the city in indigenous rights issues. She served as president of the Plains Indian Cultural Survival School in Calgary, which was the first school run by and for indigenous people in an urban area in Canada. She was its president until 1993. She held several positions within municipal and regional advisory boards in Alberta; among others she was active from 1991 to 1993 in the Alberta Civil Liberties Association and from 1981 to 1993 the Committee Against Racism. She founded and directed the Canadian Indigenous Women's Resource Institute (CIWRI), which raises awareness with non-natives about native issues and educates natives in traditional knowledge. For the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, she was the Canadian representative in the

Working Group on Indigenous Populations The Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) was a subsidiary body within the structure of the United Nations. It was established in 1982, and was one of the six working groups overseen by the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of ...

since July 1994. Together with others, she created the draft of the

Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples File:2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples voting map.svg , , , The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP or DOTROIP) is a legally non-binding United Nations resolution passed by the United Nations in 2007 ...

, which was eventually adopted in 2007. In 2002, she advised the Slovak government in their relationship to

Romani people in Slovakia According to the last census from 2021, there were 67,179 persons counted as Romani people in Slovakia (), or 1.23% of the population. However, the number of Roma is usually underreported, with estimates placing the Roma population at 7–11% of ...

. Spence regularly speaks at international conferences. She is renowned for her speeches, which often include songs,

traditional knowledge Traditional knowledge (TK), indigenous knowledge (IK), folk knowledge, and local knowledge generally refers to knowledge systems embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, indigenous, or local communities. Traditional knowledge includes ...

and encouragement for the audience to participate.

Awards

Among others, Spence received: * Chief David Crowchild Award 1992 * Alberta Human Rights Award 1993 * Nomination for the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

2005 as part of the

PeaceWomen Across the Globe PeaceWomen Across the Globe (PWAG), previously known as 1000 PeaceWomen, is an organization based in Bern, Switzerland that aims to increase the visibility of women promoting peace all over the world. History The organization began in 2003 under ...

project *

Alberta Centennial Medal The Alberta Centennial Medal is a commemorative medal celebrating Alberta's first 100 years as a province of Canada. History In 2005, the ''Alberta Centennial Medal Act'' established the Alberta Centennial Medal. Purpose The ''Alberta Centenni ...

2005 *

Indspire Awards The Indspire Awards, until 2012 the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, are annual awards presented by Indspire in Canada. The awards are intended to celebrate and encourage excellence in the Aboriginal community in Canada. About The award ...

2017 * Officer of the Order of Canada 2020

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, Doreen 1937 births Living people Canadian Indigenous rights activists Canadian civil rights activists Women civil rights activists Canadian women activists Cree people Officers of the Order of Canada Activists from Calgary