Episode 117 with Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel

Rue Atateken

This week we welcome Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel. She is Indigenous Human Rights Activist and Visual Artis.Ms. Gabriel was well-known to the public when she was chosen by the People of the Longhouse and her community of Kanehsatà:ke to be their spokesperson during the 1990 “Oka” Crisis; to protect the Pines from the expansion of a 9 hole golf course in “Oka”. Since 1990 she has advocated for the collective and individual human rights of Indigenous peoples and has worked diligently to sensitize the public, academics, policing authorities and politicians on the history, culture and identity of Indigenous peoples. She has made numerous public presentations on Indigenous rights and history, to post-secondary institutions, conferences, including presentations to Parliamentary and Senate committees as well as, Québec's National Assembly on legislative amendments affecting the rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada. She has been active at the international level participating at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues, negotiations on the Nagoya Protocol of the Convention on Biodiversity and advocated for Indigenous languages and cultures at the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She has traveled across Canada, to the Hague in Holland, Strasbourg, France to address the European parliament; and to Japan to educate people about the events in her community during the 1990 “Oka Crisis” or as it is locally known, the 1990 Siege of Kanehsatà:ke. Ms. Gabriel has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University where she graduated in May 1990. She worked as an Illustrator/Curriculum developer for Tsi Ronteriwanónha ne Kanien’kéka/ Kanehsatà:ke Resource Center in Kanehsatà:ke and also worked as an Art Teacher for the Mohawk Immersion School for grades 1-6. Ellen has also worked on videos illustrating legends of the Iroquois people and the local community stories. She is presently an active board member of Kontinón:stats