Delia Opekokew is a Cree lawyer and writer from the Canoe Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. She was the first First Nations woman lawyer to ever be admitted to the bar association in Ontario and in Saskatchewan, as well as the first woman ever, to run for the leadership of the Assembly of First Nations. Delia Opekokew experienced residential schools first hand during her childhood, at both Beauval Indian Residential School and Lebret Indian Residential School. Delia Opekokew is an accomplished women in the field of Indigenous activism and has paved the way for numerous Indigenous women to follow in her footsteps. She has received many awards, including; The Aboriginal Achievement Award, Women's Law Association of Ontario Presidents award, Law Society of Ontario Medal and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Lifetime Achievement Award.
Early life and education
A member of the Cree First Nation band, Delia Opekokew was born on the Canoe Lake Reserve in Northern Saskatchewan. Delia is the third of eight children born to her parents Marguerite and Jules Opekokew. Delia Opekokew lived on the Canoe Lake Reserve until age 8, she then attended the Beauval Indian Residential School, located on what is now the English River Dene Nation. It was not until her attendance at this school that Opekokew learned English, although she managed to maintain her knowledge of the Cree language as a student. Following elementary school, Opekokew moved to the Lebret Indian Residential School. where she completed her high school education. Opekokew attended both schools ten months a year, and only returned home during the holiday where, as the oldest daughter, Opekokew would primarily assist her mother in taking care of their large family. After completing her primary and secondary education, Opekokew pursued undergraduate studies at the University of Winnipeg, where she received a bursary for first year students with distinction., and in 1977 she graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto with a Bachelor of Laws.
Career
Early career
Her first job was as a clerk typist, with the province of Saskatchewan in the Agriculture Department. In 1967 Opekokew then became the first woman to sit on the executive of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians as secretary. Delia then went on to work as an administrative assistance for Buffy Sainte-Marie in New York, before choosing to pursue her law career.
Legal career
Following her graduation from law school, Opekokew was the first Indigenous woman admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1979 and to the Bar of Saskatchewan in 1983. During law school she worked for a number of groups, such as the National Indian Brotherhood and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians. From 1979 to 1980, as a partner at Zlotkin & Opekokew, she practiced civil and family law before acting as legal counsel to the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations from 1980 to 1985. She later became an associate with Blaney, McMurty, and Stapells where she worked from 1985 to 1990. Subsequently, she began practicing as a sole practitioner, with a specialization in Indigenous treaty rights and Aboriginal Law. In 1992, Ms. Opekokew presided as one of three chairpeople on the commission of inquiry into the death of Leo Lachance in Royal Canadian Mounted Police v. Saskatchewan (Commission of Inquiry). Opekokew also notably represented the Canoe Lake Cree Peoples in their successful land claim, and Anthony O’brien “Dudley” George who was killed in the Ipperwash Crisis.
Activism and Indigenous Community Involvement
In 1994 Opekokew became the first woman to run for Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations' 1994 leadership convention. She lost to Ovide Mercredi. In July 1998 she returned to the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians as their general council. She then proceeded to act as an adjudicator with the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Process (IRSAP), from 2004 to 2009. This was part of the larger Independent Assessment Process (IAP) under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA). Ms. Opekokew was promoted to Deputy Chief Adjudicator under IRSAP in 2009 and remained in this role until December 2017. During her time as Deputy Chief Adjudicator Ms. Opekokew maintained her private practice in Saskatchewan. She was also one of the vice-presidents of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association for several years.