Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel

Ellen Gabriel, Kanehsatà:ke Kanien’kehá:ka, Turtle Clan, is an Indigenous leader, speaker, and writer. She has been a human rights and environmental activist since 1990. Her honourable work as a spokesperson for the Kanien'kehá:ka Nation during the "Oka Crisis" brought her into the public eye and was only the start of her activism. Since then, she has continuously fought for Indigenous rights to self-determination, cultural and language rights and Indigenous women's rights. Ellen is an artist and filmmaker with a BFA from Concordia University. She recently became the first Indigenous artist to win the prestigious prize, The Grand Prix of the Conseil des arts de Montréal. She is also a board member of the Mohawk Language Custodian Association working to preserve the language, and is part of Indigenous Climate Action's steering committee.