Ellen Gabriel (born 1959), also known as Katsi'tsakwas, is a

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans *Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people *Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been t ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fr ...

and artist from Kanehsatà:ke Nation – Turtle Clan, known for her involvement as the official spokesperson, chosen by the People of the Longhouse,Katsitsakwas Ellen Gabriel « Women Suffrage and Beyond
/ref> during the

Oka Crisis The Oka Crisis (french: links=no, Crise d'Oka), also known as the Kanehsatà:ke Resistance (), was a land dispute between a group of Mohawk people and the town of Oka, Quebec, Canada, which began on July 11, 1990, and lasted 78 days until Septe ...

.Assembly of First Nations – Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel
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Biography

In March 1990, she joined in the movement against the expansion of a golf course in

Oka, Quebec Oka is a small village on the northern bank of the Ottawa River (''Rivière des Outaouais'' in French), northwest of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Located in the Laurentians valley on Lake of Two Mountains, where the Ottawa has its confluence with t ...

. That event eventually escalated into the

. In order to raise awareness of the crisis, she traveled internationally, including visits to

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's ad ...

, Strasbourg and Japan. During this time, in May 1990, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from

Concordia University Concordia University (French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the th ...

. In 1993, the documentary '' Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance'' was released; she was a prominent part of the film. The next decade after the crisis had been settled, she worked as an Art Teacher for the Mohawk Immersion School at Kahnawà:ke. In 2004, she was elected president of the Quebec Native Women's Association. She held the position until December 2010. During this time she brought changes to the Indian Act in the form of Bill C-31. On 19 May 2009, she gave a speech to the eighth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Between 11–15 July 2011, she gave a speech to the fourth session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In the Summer of 2012, she ran for National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. She passed to the second round of votes and was eliminated in the second round due to misinformation on the floor which rumored she had withdrawn and given her votes to Shawn Atleo. On 7 May 2013, in regards to Bill S-2, she gave a speech to the 41st Parliament, 1st Session at the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.Status of Women Committee on May 7th, 2013 , openparliament.ca
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Honours

*Golden Eagle Award from the Native Women’s Association of Canada, 2005 *International Women’s Day Award from the Barreau du Québec/Québec Bar Association *Jigonsaseh Women of Peace Award, 2008

References

External links

Gabriel's Twitter AccountGabriel's Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabriel, Ellen 1959 births Living people Canadian Mohawk people First Nations women First Nations activists First Nations artists Concordia University alumni 20th-century First Nations people 21st-century First Nations people 20th-century Canadian women artists