Noel Starblanket, Cree, 1946-
He was elected chief of the Starblanket Reserve in 1971
and, at the age of 24, was the youngest chief in Canada at that
time. After the young Cree was elected a second time, Starblanket
became the subject of a National Film Board documentary by the
noted filmmaker Donald Brittain (Starblanket, 1973). He was elected
to the Executive of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
(FSIN), and held the position of president of the National Indian
Brotherhood or NIB (now the Assembly of First Nations) for two
terms between 1976 and 1980. While president of the NIB, Starblanket
enhanced public awareness of First Nations issues and needs, and
contributed to building the Brotherhood into a strong political
lobby group. He also served as Director of Treaty Rights and Research
for FSIN, and attended law school at the University of Saskatchewan.
Starblanket, along with Morley Watson and Vern Bellegarde, creatred
a competitive Native hockey team, the Lebret Eaglesof the Saskatchewan
Junior Hockey. Starblanket is now involved with Treaty 4 government.
Starblanket’s involvement with documentary media continues
with the release in 2006 of Starblanket – A Spirit Journey
in which he shares his life story and the traditions of his people.