Doreen Spence
Doreen Spence, born in 1937 in the Goodfish Lake Nation of Alberta, Canada, is a prominent Indigenous Canadian figure known for her advocacy in social justice and Indigenous rights. Raised by her Cree elder grandparents, she was instilled with traditional values that influenced her life and career. Spence became one of the first Indigenous Canadians to qualify as a practical nurse in 1959, leading to a four-decade career in nursing where she integrated traditional healing practices into her work. Her commitment to Indigenous issues is evident through her role in drafting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted in 2007.
Throughout her life, Spence has championed the preservation of traditional Indigenous culture and has worked with various institutions to address civil rights issues. She co-founded the Calgary Urban Aboriginal Initiative and the Plains Indian Cultural Survival School, the first urban school operated by and for First Nations people in Canada. Her impactful contributions have garnered numerous accolades, including the Order of Canada in 2020 and a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Doreen Spence's efforts have significantly advanced the recognition and respect of Indigenous peoples both in Canada and globally, leaving a lasting legacy in the fight for rights and justice.
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Subject Terms
Doreen Spence
Canadian Indigenous rights advocate
- Born: 1937
- Birthplace: Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Alberta, Canada
Significance: Doreen Spence is an Indigenous Canadian nurse and elder who advocates for the rights of Canada’s First Nations people. In addition to establishing several civil rights agencies in her native province of Alberta, she has served as an international consultant and speaker on civil rights issues. She has been elected to serve as a Cree chief and received numerous awards for her advocacy work.
Background
Doreen Spence was born in 1937 in the Goodfish Lake Nation in what is now the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in northern Alberta, Canada. She was raised by her grandparents, who were both Cree elders. They instilled in her traditional Cree values such as kindness, compassion, and a strong sense of ethics.
Many Indigenous children of Spence’s era were sent away to boarding schools under the Indian Act of 1876, legislation that was intended to erase traditional First Nations culture, religion, and language and assimilate the Indigenous people into the Euro-Canadian culture. One key component of this assimilation involved taking the children from their homes at a young age and raising them in boarding schools where they were not allowed to dress in traditional clothing or speak any First Nations languages. They were generally taught farming, domestic work, and other employable skills, along with regular academic subjects to a third-grade level. Spence’s grandparents managed to protect her from being sent away to a boarding school.
When she turned eighteen, Spence earned a scholarship to Berean Bible College and went to Calgary to study there. In 1959, she became one of the first Indigenous Canadians to become a practical nurse. This was the start of a forty-year career in nursing. She later took additional nursing classes at Mount Royal College in the 1970s but dropped out to care for her husband after he suffered a heart attack.
Life’s Work
Spence’s career included a strong emphasis on social justice. In her earliest years, she took on officials in the northern Alberta hospital where she was working when they wanted to forcibly sterilize an Indigenous girl. Spence also incorporated traditional healing practices into her medical care. In this way, she followed the example of the Cree elder grandparents who raised her. During her long career, she traveled around the world to speak and teach about health and traditional healing.
In addition to providing nursing care and teaching traditional medicine, Spence took part in numerous programs intended to help promote and protect traditional values and practices in various aspects of the community. Throughout her life, Spence worked with hospitals, schools, police forces, and other groups and institutions to help initiate programs that preserved traditional culture and integrated respect for First Nations people.
Spence helped found the Calgary Urban Aboriginal Initiative. Its purpose is to provide guidance and input to Calgary in matters involving its Indigenous population. One area of focus for the initiative was identifying potential civil rights issues and investigating possible solutions. Spence also helped establish the Plains Indian Cultural Survival School (PICSS) in Calgary. This was the first urban Canadian school run for and by First Nations people, and Spence served as school board president from 1979 until 1993.
The following year, Spence became part of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations to the United Nations (UN). This group was asked to draft a declaration on Indigenous rights for the agency, a task they completed in 2007. The Declaration on Indigenous Rights was formally adopted by the UN the next year and by Canada in 2021.
Spence has also been involved in groups such as the Canadian Indigenous Women’s Resource Institute and the Alberta Civil Liberties Union. She has been an elder in residence with the Cumming School of Medicine’s Indigenous, Local, and Global Health (ILGH) program. In addition, she served in several advisory capacities at Mount Royal College, including redesigning the nursing curriculum and assisting with programs to benefit Indigenous students.
Spence has received prestigious awards for her accomplishments. In 2017 she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Mount Royal College. In 2020, she also received the 2020 Order of Canada Award, one of the country’s highest civilian awards.
Impact
Spence’s advocacy for Indigenous people has left a mark not only on Canada but also on the world. She has played an integral part in drafting policies and guidelines for respectful, fair treatment of Indigenous people in many countries, especially through the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Her efforts have been recognized with numerous awards, including the 1992 International Award at the New Zealand Spiritual Elders Conference, the 1993 Alberta Human Rights Award, a nomination for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, the 2005 Alberta Centennial Medal, a 2017 Inspire Award for excellence in the Aboriginal community, and election as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2020.
Bibliography
“Calgary-based Cree Elder Named to Order of Canada.” CBC News, 21 Oct. 2022, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/doreen-spence-cree-grandmother-order-of-canada-1.6624438. Accessed 1 July 2023.
“Celebrating Our Indigenous Graduates by Honouring Culture and Tradition.” St. Mary’s University, stmu.ca/celebrating-our-indigenous-graduates-by-honouring-culture-and-tradition/. Accessed 1 July 2023.
“Doreen Spence.” Healing Space, mikeboiko.s3-website.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/associates/doreen.html. Accessed 1 July 2023.
“Doreen Spence.” Indspire, https://indspire.ca/laureate/doreen-spence/. Accessed 1 July 2023.
Fox, Matthew. “A Model of Reconciliation and Resilience.” Mount Royal University, 27 May 2022, www.mtroyal.ca/AboutMountRoyal/MediaRoom/Stories/2022/05/a-model-of-reconciliation-and-resilience.htm. Accessed 1 July 2023.
Glover, Fred. “Indian Act (Plain-Language Summary).” Canadian Encyclopedia, 23 Sept. 2022, thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indian-act-plain-language-summary. Accessed 1 July 2023.
Marcaccio, Lindsay. “Elder in Residence Receives One of Canada’s Highest Civilian Honours.” University of Calgary, 15 Jan. 2021, cumming.ucalgary.ca/news/elder-residence-receives-one-canadas-highest-civilian-honours. Accessed 1 July 2023.