Lynda Prince
Lynda Prince | |
|---|---|
| Carrier Sekani Tribal Council Tribal Chief | |
| In office 1994–1997 | |
| Preceded by | Justa Monk |
| Succeeded by | Mavis Erickson |
| Nak'azdli Band Member | |
| Personal details | |
| Relations | Raymond Prince |
| Mother tongue | Carrier language |
Lynda Prince is a Canadian First Nations advocate and politician who served as Tribal Chief of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council from 1994 to 1997.[1] She is considered Canada's first female Grand Chief.[2][3]
She was born in Tache, British Columbia[3] to a family of 15 siblings.[4] She was sent to a residential school at 5 years old,[2] and experienced the abuse first had.[3][4]
She was appointed Executive Director of the Carrier Sekani Family Services in 1993, a position she held for a year.[5] She was reelected as Tribal Chief in 1995 and 1996.[6][7] She worked on Carrier self-government,[8] and a framework agreement was signed in April 1997.[9] She called for a full scale enquiry into the abuse at residential schools. [10] She was succeeded by Mavis Erickson.[11]
Her uncle, Raymon Prince, fought in the Second World War with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada.[12]
Prince's experiences in the Catholic run residential school pushed her away from Christianity, through later in life she reconnected with the religion.[3] She doesn't self identify as a Christian, despite holding those beliefs and working with Christian Indigenous groups in North America and worldwide. she brought 120 drums to Native communities in the United States for "Christian ceremonies as a way of encouraging American Indians to worship in the ways of their culture".[13][14]
In 1999 she joined a mission of 100 Indigenous leaders to the Israeli Knesset.[15] She was involved in the creation of the Indigenous Embassy, Jerusalem, and has endorsed embassy being led by the Maori community.[16]
Reference List
- ^ "Previous Tribal Chiefs". carriersekani.ca. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
- ^ a b Dueck, Lorna (31 October 2000). "Sorry isn't good enough". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ a b c d Harevy, Bob (11 November 2000). "Christianity 'a dirty word' to natives: Female grand chief can 'forgive, not forget' residential schools". The Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ a b "The Genocide of Canadian Indians - The Story of Lynda Prince". EAEC. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
- ^ "Reflections 1990 - 2015" (PDF).
- ^ "Here Now - Second Term". The Prince George Citizen. 27 June 1995. p. 3.
- ^ "Prince back as chief". Prince George Free Press. 7 November 1996. pp. A4.
- ^ Nielsen, Mark (1 May 1997). "Carrier Sekani want self-government like Nisaga'a". Prince George Free Press. Cariboo News Service. pp. A16.
- ^ Curran, Deborah; M'Gonigle, Michael (1999). "Aboriginal Forestry: Community Management as Opportunity and Imperative" (PDF). Osgoode Hall Law Journal. 37 (4): 77.
- ^ Hoekstra, Gordon (23 November 1996). "Tribal leader welcomes royal commission report". The Prince George Citizen. p. 1.
- ^ Hoekstra, Gordon (17 September 1997). "Harvard law grad takes helm of tribal council". The Prince George Citizen. p. 1.
- ^ Trick, Bernice (5 December 1996). "Native veteran rights advocate dies at 73". The Prince George Citizen. p. 13.
- ^ "Mariposa Revival Center | Honoring Native Americans". mariposarevivalcenter.org. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
- ^ "Drums of Thunder in Valley". Fresno Bee. 24 February 2001. pp. B5.
- ^ "American Natives Tour Israeli Parliament". Anchorage Daily News. 24 September 1999. pp. B4.
- ^ "First Nations Of North America Welcome Māori Pacific Leaders Of Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-11-09.