Firekeepers of the Twenty-First Century : First Nations Women Chiefs

A quiet revolution is occurring in Canada's First Nations communities, with changes taking place on social, political, and economic fronts and a significant redistribution of power. Changes to the Indian Act in 1951 paved the way for women to become officially involved in reserve politics, and with governments responding to the demand of First Nations for self-government, positions once held exclusively by men are now being filled by women. Beginning with Elsie Knott, the first female chief in Canada, Cora Voyageur presents the lives of sixty-four of the ninety women chiefs who have assumed the traditionally male role of elected First Nations leadership. Using a range of qualitative research strategies, surveys, participant observation, interviews, and discussions with focus groups, Voyageur presents the colonial histories behind the issues that contemporary Aboriginal communities struggle with and delineates the resulting leadership dilemmas for chiefs, while also articulating a story that is unique to First Nations women. Contents Tables Acknowledgments Preface Definition of Terms 1 Introduction 2 On Being an Indian Chief 3 Canada’s First Female Indian Act Chief: Elsie Knott 4 Demographic Profile of Female Chiefs in Canada 5 Running for Office 6 On the Campaign Trail: Peggy Richard 7 Public Life: Taking and Maintaining Office 8 Public Life versus Private Life 9 Interview with Chief Kim Baird 10 Conclusion APPENDICES A: Questionnaire B: Letter to Female Chiefs C: Peggy Richard Campaign Pamphlet Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Presents lives of sixty-four women chiefs who have assumed the traditionally male role of elected First Nations leadership. This book also presents the colonial histories behind the issues that contemporary Aboriginal communities struggle with and delineates the resulting leadership dilemmas for chiefs.