Norma Kassi | |
---|---|
MLA for Old Crow | |
In office 1985–1992 | |
Preceded by | Kathie Nukon |
Succeeded by | Johnny Abel |
Personal details | |
Born | Aklavik,Northwest Territories | April 10,1954
Political party | Yukon New Democratic Party |
Occupation | environmentalist |
Norma Kassi (born April 10,1954) is a native Gwich'in from Yukon Territory,Canada, [1] and a former member of the Yukon Legislative Assembly and former chief of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation. [2] She was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2002, [3] together with Sarah James and Jonathon Solomon. They received the prize for their struggles for protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from plans of oil exploration and drilling. Oil and gas exploration would disturb the life cycle of the Porcupine caribou,which has been the foundation for the Gwich'in culture for 20,000 years. [3] In 2010 she was elected as Chief of the Vuntut Gwitchin.
The Gwichʼin language belongs to the Athabaskan language family and is spoken by the Gwich'in First Nation (Canada) / Alaska Native People. It is also known in older or dialect-specific publications as Kutchin,Takudh,Tukudh,or Loucheux. Gwich'in is spoken primarily in the towns of Inuvik,Aklavik,Fort McPherson,and Tsiigehtchic,all in the Northwest Territories and Old Crow in Yukon of Canada. In Alaska of the United States,Gwichʼin is spoken in Beaver,Circle,Fort Yukon,Chalkyitsik,Birch Creek,Arctic Village,Eagle,and Venetie.
The Gwichʼin are an Athabaskan-speaking First Nations people of Canada and an Alaska Native people. They live in the northwestern part of North America,mostly above the Arctic Circle.
Old Crow is a community in the Canadian territory of Yukon. It had 221 inhabitants as of 2016,most of them Gwich'in,a First Nations people who belong to the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation.
Vuntut National Park is a national park located in northern Yukon,Canada. It was established in 1995 as part of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Final Agreement,to conserve,protect and present to Canadians a portion of the North Yukon Natural Region,to recognize Vuntut Gwitchin history and culture,and to protect the traditional and current use of the park by the Vuntut Gwitchin. The name Vuntut comes from the Gwichʼin for among the lakes. Fewer than 25 people visit the park each year.
The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation (VGFN) is a First Nation in the northern Yukon in Canada. Its main population centre is Old Crow. The language originally spoken by the people is Gwichʼin.
Vuntut Gwitchin may refer to:
The 1992 Yukon general election was held on October 19,1992 to elect members of the 28th Legislative Assembly of the territory of Yukon,Canada. It was won by the Yukon Party.
Old Crow Flats is a 6,170 km2 (2,382 sq mi) wetland complex in northern Yukon,Canada along the Old Crow River. It is north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Beaufort Sea,and is nearly surrounded by mountains.
Darius Mortimer Elias was a Canadian politician. He represented the rural Yukon electoral district of Vuntut Gwitchin in the Yukon Legislative Assembly from 2006–2016 as a member of both the Yukon Liberal Party and the Yukon Party.
Sarah Agnes James is a native Neets'aii Gwich'in from Arctic Village,Alaska,USA,and a board member of the International Indian Treaty Council. She was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2002,together with Jonathon Solomon and Norma Kassi. They received the prize for their efforts to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from plans of oil exploration and drilling. Oil and gas exploration would disturb the life cycle of the Porcupine caribou,which has been a foundation for the Gwich'in culture since approximately 18,000 BC.
Jonathon Solomon was a native Gwich'in from Fort Yukon,Alaska,USA,and a member of the U.S. delegation to the International Porcupine Caribou Agreement between Canada and U.S. He served as the Traditional Chief of the Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in,a lifetime designation,from 2002 until his death in 2006. He was a founding member of the Gwich'in Steering Committee formed by the Gwich'in at Arctic Village in 1988,and dedicated to the preservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. He served with distinction until his death.
Lorraine Peter,is a Canadian politician. She represented the electoral district of Vuntut Gwitchin in the Yukon Legislative Assembly from 2000 to 2006. She was a member of the Yukon New Democratic Party.
Robert Bruce is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Vuntut Gwitchin in the Yukon Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2000. He was a member of the Yukon New Democratic Party.
Kathie Emma Nukon is a Canadian former politician,who represented the electoral district of Old Crow in the Yukon Legislative Assembly from 1982 to 1985. She was a member of the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party.
Johnny W. Abel was a Canadian politician,who represented the electoral district of Vuntut Gwitchin in the Yukon Legislative Assembly from 1992 until his death in 1995. He was a member of the Yukon Party.
The Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples’Secretariat (IPS) is a secretariat for the six international indigenous organizations affiliated with the eight-nation Arctic Council. The IPS does not represent indigenous peoples or their organizations,but assists those organizations in presenting their causes,and helps to disseminate information among them. IPS was established in 1994 under the auspices of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS). It was around the same time that the category of Permanent Participants was being developed and applied to the three indigenous peoples’organizations then observers in the AEPS. When the Arctic Council was established in 1996,both the Permanent Participants and IPS was reinserted into the new intergovernmental framework. Since commencing business in 1994,the role of the secretariat has been to facilitate contributions from the Permanent Participants to the cooperation of the eight Arctic states and to assist the Permanent Participants in performing,mainly communicational task.
Pauline Frost is a Canadian politician,who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Yukon in the 2016 election. She represented the electoral district of Vuntut Gwitchin as a member of the Yukon Liberal Party and served one term.
Jeneen Frei Njootli is an interdisciplinary Vuntut Gwitchin artist known primarily for their work with sound and textiles,performance,fashion,workshops,and barbeques.
Annie Blake is a Canadian politician,who was elected to the Yukon Legislative Assembly in the 2021 Yukon general election. She represents the electoral district of Vuntut Gwitchin as a member of the Yukon New Democratic Party.