Roddy Blackjack (c. 1927 – death announced on May 2, 2013) was 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 ...

elder and former Chief of the

Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation The Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation is a First Nation in the central Yukon Territory in Canada. Its original population centre was Little Salmon, Yukon, but most of its citizens live in Carmacks, Yukon. The language originally spoken by the Li ...

of the

Yukon Territory Yukon () is a territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s westernmost territory and the smallest ...

. He also served as an executive elder of the

Council of Yukon First Nations A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nation ...

and "elder in residence" at

Yukon College Yukon University (formerly Yukon College) is a public university in the Canadian territory of Yukon. The university main campus is based in Whitehorse, although the institution also operates 12 campuses throughout the territory. The university c ...

. Blackjack is considered an early architect of the

Yukon Land Claims The Yukon Land Claims refer to the process of negotiating and settling Indigenous land claim agreements in Yukon, Canada between First Nations and the federal government. Based on historic occupancy and use, the First Nations claim basic rights t ...

agreement. In 1973, Blackjack traveled to

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

as part of a delegation of Yukon First Nation leaders. He presented Canadian Prime Minister

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

with documents and other paperwork which would form the basis for the eventual Yukon Land Claims agreement. Blackjack died in early May 2013 at the age of 86. His death was announced on May 2, 2013.

References

1920s births 2013 deaths Indigenous leaders in Yukon First Nations activists 20th-century First Nations people 21st-century First Nations people Tutchone people {{Yukon-politician-stub