14 Facts About Delia Opekokew

Delia Opekokew is a Cree lawyer and writer from the Canoe Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Delia Opekokew was the first First Nations woman lawyer to be admitted to the bar association in Ontario and in Saskatchewan, as well as the first woman to run for the leadership of the Assembly of First Nations.

Delia Opekokew has received awards for her achievements, 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.

Delia Opekokew is the third of eight children born to her parents Marguerite and Jules Delia Opekokew.

Delia Opekokew lived on the Canoe Lake Reserve until age eight, when she attended the Beauval Indian Residential School, located on what is the English River Dene Nation.

Delia Opekokew attended both schools ten months a year, and only returned home during the holiday where, as the oldest daughter, Delia Opekokew would primarily assist her mother in taking care of their large family.

In 1967 Delia Opekokew then became the first woman to sit on the executive of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians as secretary.

Delia Opekokew then went on to work as an administrative assistance for Buffy Sainte-Marie in New York, before choosing to pursue her law career.

Delia Opekokew later became an associate with Blaney, McMurty, and Stapells where she worked from 1985 to 1990.

Delia Opekokew was responsible for researching Buffy Sainte-Marie's claims of Indigenous ancestry and provided a 1980 letter that advocated for Sainte-Marie to be given Canadian citizenship.

In 1994 Delia Opekokew became the first woman to run for Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations' 1994 leadership convention.

Delia Opekokew then proceeded to act as an adjudicator with the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Process, from 2004 to 2009.

Delia Opekokew was promoted to Deputy Chief Adjudicator under IRSAP in 2009 and remained in this role until December 2017.

Delia Opekokew was one of the vice-presidents of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association for several years.