George Manuel
George Manuel | |
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Chief of the Walter Dieter | |
Succeeded by | Noel Starblanket |
Personal details | |
Born | British Columbia | February 21, 1921
Died | November 15, 1989 | (aged 68)
George Manuel,
Reflecting on his work with indigenous peoples across the Americas, he wrote The Fourth World: An Indian Reality (1975), exploring the effects of waves of European immigration on these peoples. In his later years, he served as president of the
Biography
Manuel was born to Maria and Rainbow in 1921, on the
After contracting
Political career
Manuel became involved in indigenous politics and his increasing responsibilities strained his marriage. He was elected chief of the Neskonlith Indian Band. In 1959, following the death of his mentor Andy Paull, Manuel was elected head of the North American Indian Brotherhood. Soon after, he and Marceline separated.
Not long after this, the federal
Manuel next worked for the Alberta Brotherhood, which represented indigenous peoples in the province. There he developed a strong working relationship with political leader Harold Cardinal (Cree). In this position, Manuel met and worked extensively with chiefs across Canada, becoming familiar with a wide range of issues.
Cardinal encouraged Manuel to run for national chief of the newly created National Indian Brotherhood, a body that would represent almost 250,000 'status Indians' in Canada. Manuel served as its first national chief from 1970 to 1976.[1]
In 1975 Manuel helped found and was elected as the president of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples, serving in this position until 1981.[2]
He had begun to think deeply about the effects of successive waves of European expansion on Indigenous societies in the Americas, and considered these native peoples together as "the Fourth World." They had numerous experiences in common in terms of having to adapt to colonisation and its aftermath. Manuel wrote a book, The Fourth World: An Indian Reality, expanding on this idea, co-written with Michael Posluns; it was published in 1975.[3] In the book, Manuel argued that the history of all settler colonial expansion came from two different ideas of land. Land as a commodity and land as a relationship. Indigenous peoples' struggle to defend the latter against the violent globalization of the former is at its core the struggle of what Manuel calls the "Fourth World."[4]
George Manuel was President of the
Legacy and honours
- He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
- He was repeatedly recognized for his international work by the World Council of Indigenous Peoples.
- In 1983 he received an honorary degree from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
- In 1984, Manuel and Dr. Rudolph C. Ryser formed the Center for World Indigenous Studies.
His sons Robert and Arthur Manuel (enrolled Secwepemc like their father) also became active in indigenous politics.
His eldest daughter Vera Manuel (1948-2010) became an internationally known playwright, and poet as well as a highly respected leader in the community.
His younger daughter Doreen Manuel is a film maker.[7]
In 2023, Canada Post announced that Manuel will be one of three people, alongside Nellie Cournoyea and Thelma Chalifoux, honoured as indigenous pioneers on new postage stamps.[8]
References
- ^ Griffin, Kevin (2017-05-08). "Canada 150: George Manuel inspired a generation of indigenous leaders". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
- ^ Lee, Angela. "George Manuel". Indigenous Foundations. University of British Columbia. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- OCLC 2681637.
- ^ Manuel, George. The Fourth World: An Indian Reality. p. xi.
- ^ Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
- ^ "Indian Constitutional Express". Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2005-10-30.
- ^ Gee, Dana (2019-07-03). "Women in Film and Television Vancouver's Woman of Year focused on lifting others up | Vancouver Sun". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
- ^ "New Canada Post stamp honours first Indigenous woman to lead a Canadian government". Toronto Star, June 11, 2023.
Further reading
- McFarlane, Peter, "Brotherhood to Nationhood: George Manuel and the Making of the Modern Indian Movement," (Toronto : Between the Lines, 1993), ISBN 0-921284-67-5
- Lee, Angela. "George Manuel". Indigenous Foundations.
- Turcotte, Yanique (2019-07-04). "George Manuel". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
External links
- The George Manuel Institute
- Michael Posluns fonds, Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections, York University Libraries. (includes correspondence, recordings and other material related to Manuel's collaboration with Michael Posluns on The Fourth World.)