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June 21 is National #IndigenousPeoplesDay 
. Take the time to learn about 10 Indigenous individuals who fought for the advancement of Indigenous rights in Canada in the thread below. #NIPDCanada
. Take the time to learn about 10 Indigenous individuals who fought for the advancement of Indigenous rights in Canada in the thread below. #NIPDCanada
Catharine Sutton, also known as Nahneebahwequa, fought for #IndigenousRights during a time when assimilationist policies deprived Indigenous peoples of their traditional lands and customs. In 1860, she met Queen Victoria to advocate for her Ojibwe people. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/catherine-sutton
In 1918, Fred Loft founded the League of Indians of Canada, the first pan-Indigenous organization in Canada. Loft pushed for the improvement of education for Indigenous peoples and spoke out against the poor and unequal treatment of Indigenous veterans. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fred-loft
The Métis community hails Jim Brady as one of the most influential political figures and a key player in the Métis liberation movement. His radical politics of the 1930s tried in vain to persuade the CCF in SK to implement progressive Indigenous policies. https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jim-brady
In 1949, Frank Calder became the first Indigenous member of a Canadian legislature. Not only did he help the Nisga’a nation realize justice, he set in motion the process by which the federal gov't came to recognize Aboriginal title in modern Canadian law. https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/frank-calder
Mary Two-Axe Earley spent much of her life fighting against the injustices that the #IndianAct created for Status Indian women, particularly in the 1960s regarding the denial of status, treaty and property rights for Status Indian women who “married out.” https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mary-two-axe-earley
In 1963, Maria Campbell founded the first Women’s Halfway House and the first Women and Children’s Emergency Crisis Centre in Edmonton. Campbell’s memoir Halfbreed (1973) is regarded as a foundational piece of #IndigenousLiterature in Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/maria-campbell
WWII veteran Bertha Clark-Jones advocated for the fair treatment of Indigenous ex-service people. In 1968, she co-founded the Voice of Alberta Native Women’s Society, which helped Status/Non-Status women achieve equal rights under the Indian Act. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bertha-clark-jones
Tagak Curley helped to form what is now @ITK_CanadaInuit in 1971 and was its first president. The ITK is a national advocacy organization that promotes awareness about political, social, cultural and environmental issues that impact Inuit communities. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tagak-curley
Gertrude Guerin was the first female chief of the Musqueam First Nation and a fierce protector of Indigenous peoples and culture. In the 1980s, she represented the Musqueam nation in challenges to Canadian jurisdiction over traditional Musqueam territory. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/gertrude-guerin
Throughout her life, Rosemarie Kuptana fought for the self-determination of Inuit peoples and for increased Inuktitut-language broadcasting. In 2000, she began advocating for the use of traditional Inuit knowledge in battling the effects of climate change. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/rosemarie-kuptana
This list is by no means exhaustive. For more resources to learn about Indigenous history in Canada, check out this thread: https://twitter.com/HistoricaCanada/status/1268607732812259328
