Elijah Edward Smith

Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, 1991

He has been described as a plain-spoken man of wisdom and dedication, with a modesty that made him approachable by anyone. Born in Hutshi Village, Yukon, he worked as trapper, hunter and fisherman and served in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War. For more than 40 years since that time, his work unifying the First Nations peoples of the Yukon has been inspirational. He served as Chief of the Kwanlin Band, Founding President of the Yukon Native Brotherhood, Founding Chairman of the Council for Yukon Indians, and Yukon representative to the National Indian Brotherhood. He spoke persuasively of the need for unity among First Nations people long before his vision was widely accepted. It was as a result of his skill and diplomacy that the federal government agreed, in 1973, to negotiate a Yukon land claim--a decision that reversed federal policy and set the precedent for all land claim negotiations to follow. For his efforts, Elijah Smith has been given many awards, including the Order of Canada.

Photo courtesy of M.J. Jim