Roberta Jamieson, Mohawk, 1953-
She is a Mohawk from the Six Nations of the Grand River
Territory where she has lived throughout her life. She was raised
in a close-knit family of eight brothers and sisters, attending
school with other Six Nations students.
In 1970, Jamieson entered McGill University intending to study
medicine and there became involved in the James Bay Cree defence
of their territory being taken over by the James Bay Hydro Development
Project. That ultimately led her to become executive assistant
to George Manual in the early days of the National Indian Brotherhood
and the development of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples.
This political awakening and desire to defend First Nation rights
led her to change her studies from medicine to law. She received
her LL.B. degree in 1976 from University of Western Ontario School
of Law, the first woman from a First Nation in Canada to graduate
from law school. After graduation she became part of the Canadian
Indian Rights Commission secretariat, and from 1978 to 1982, she
worked at the Indian Commission of Ontario as executive assistant
to the Commissioner, senior policy advisor and senior mediator.
In 1982, Jamieson became the first non-parliamentarian to be appointed
an ex-officio member of a House of Commons Committee, the Special
Task Force on Indian Self-Government that in 1983 produced a final
report known by the name of its chair, “The Penner Report”,
supported by all political parties, which stands to this day as
a viable framework for Native self-government in Canada. She was
also chair of the legal group advising the Assembly of First Nations
during the First Ministers’ Conferences after the patriation
of the Constitution.
In 1986, Ms. Jamieson was appointed by federal and provincial
Orders-in-Council and by agreement of the First Nations in Ontario
to be Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario, a position
she held until 1989. As a facilitator and mediator she helped
conclude negotiations involving policing, land issues, and self-government.
From 1989 to 1999, Jamieson served the Legislative Assembly as
Ombudsman of Ontario, the first woman to be appointed to this
position. During this period she became the founding President
of the Canadian Ombudsman Association and was Vice President of
the International Ombudsman Institute, responsible for relations
with various agencies associated with the United Nations. Her
work was strongly influenced by her traditional Mohawk values
and history of diplomacy.
Jamieson is a graduate of the Harvard University Program on Negotiation
for Senior Executives and has received numerous honorary doctorate
degrees (Carleton University, Dalhousie University, McMaster University,
Lakehead University, University of Western Ontario, University
of Windsor, Waterloo Lutheran University, University of Sudbury,
Ryerson University, Law Society of Upper Canada, York University,
and University of Toronto).
Jamieson has received an Outstanding Contribution Award from the
National Indian Brotherhood (1977), an Award from the Chiefs of
Ontario in recognition of exceptional leadership and strengthening
of Indian Government (1983), and the Keepers of Our Culture Award
from First Nations Women in Canada (1984). She received the Golden
Eagle Feather Award from the National Association of Friendship
Centres (1997) and the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for
Law and Justice (1998). In 2001, she became the second person
to receive the Indigenous Peoples Counsel (IPC) Award of the Indigenous
Bar Association. Jamieson was named a Member of the Order of Canada
in 1994.In 2001, Jamieson ran for election as Chief of Six Nations
on a platform of accountability, accessibility, openness, and
uniting the community, the largest First Nation population in
Canada.
In 2002, Jamieson joined elder William Commanda as a recipient
of the Harmony Award and was cited for her wisdom, courage, warmth,
grace and sincerity in making a significant contribution towards
eliminating racial and social barriers in Canada. In the same
year, she was named the Recipient of the first Deo Kernahan Memorial
Award presented by the Urban Alliance on Race Relations in Toronto.
Applying her Mohawk traditional values, Jamieson is well known
as an authority on non-adversarial methods for conflict resolution.
Her work in this area was recognized in 1991 when she was named
the Goodman Fellow at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
In 1992, she was selected by the International Society of Professionals
in Dispute Resolution as the first recipient of the Mary Parker
Follett Award, paying tribute to “an individual who, with
passion, willingness to take risks, and high involvement of those
affected, is tackling a contemporary problem in the field of dispute
resolution.”
Jamieson is the founding chair of the International Aboriginal
Media Arts Festival "imagineNATIVE " and served as a
member of the Advisory Committee to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
on the National Gathering on Aboriginal Artistic Expression, and
the National Gathering on Cultural Tourism. She is a member of
the Advisory Board of CH Television in Hamilton, Ontario, the
former co-chair of the President’s Committee on Indigenous
Studies at McMaster University, and a board member for Pro Bono
Law Ontario. She is also a founding board member of the Centre
for Research in Women’s Health, a University of Toronto
and Women’s College Hospital partnership. She is also a
Board member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons.
In 2004 Jamieson was appointed as a member of the Health Council
of Canada and was subsequently elected Vice-Chair.
During her term as Chief at Six Nations, she continued to demonstrate
her passion for fostering the education and training of aboriginal
youth in the health sciences. She is spearheading a groundbreaking
strategy “Vision 20/20” committed to graduating greater
numbers of aboriginal physicians.
In October 2004, Jamieson ended her term as Chief at Six Nations
and on November 4th, she assumed leadership of the National Aboriginal
Achievement Foundation, a non-profit organization that encourages
and empowers young Aboriginal people to advance their educational
and career aspirations.
As Chief, Commissioner, Ombudsman, and activist, Roberta Jamieson
has over thirty years experience in advocacy and conflict resolution
involving governments at all levels. She is a dynamic and highly
skilled leader with a unique ability to succeed in complex political
environments. Her expertise includes social justice, critical
analysis, problem solving, consensus building and organizational
change.
Jamieson resides on the Six Nation of the Grand River Territory
with her husband, Tom Hill of the Seneca Nation, Curator/Director
of the Woodland Cultural Centre Museum and internationally recognized
expert on First Nation history and culture. Roberta and Tom have
a daughter, Jessica, and a granddaughter, Daisy.