b'RICING MOONWhile in school, Opekokew noticed thatOpekokew has worked through manyupsets us and air it out. Lets enjoy the there were some gaps in the law. Thetransformative decades in Canada. Whengood and learn from our mistakes.missing element was on Indigenousshe began her educational journey, not property rights, she says. Luckily, she hadmuch time had passed since 1960 whenOpekokews next step in life? a good mentor in one of her professors;First Nations people were granted theRetirement, she says. But not before he encouraged Opekokew to use herright to vote. So many events, court casesshe closes out all of her files. I do voice and right to self-determination. Theand fights for justice have taken placethe best I can in the best interests of papers that Opekokew worked on duringsince then, and Opekokew has contrib- my clients.her academic quest have been the founda- uted to many of them. tion of her long career. Some of the casesSoon, shell be making her annual trek she has worked on have been in CanadianThe work Opekokew does is heavy.from her Toronto residence to her headlines and continue to be cited in bothWhen asked about what keeps her afloat,home in Treaty 10 territory to spend law and media. Opekokew answers, Im very positive. Itime in the house she built with her own know how to pace myself and get a goodfunds in Canoe Lake Cree First Nation. These accomplishments werent easy: Inights sleep. She also adds, TalkingI will continue my strong relations faced a lot challenges, she says, first, forto people is important, and not keepingwith family, community and language, being Indigenous, and second, for being aanything inside. We need to share whatshe concludes. woman. I had to work really hard. She shares this advice for young people: You have to be strong, work hard, study hard despite people trying to distract you from your goals. You really have to believe in yourself and say no to peer pressure to do other things.There have been many changes over her education journey and career. Coming out of Indian residential school, there were no teachings on respecting Elders, she notes. Now, there is a lot of respect for Elders, and in order to respect Treaties, we need to understand our own Elders.While there have been many innovations in education for and by Indigenous Peoples, Opekokew herself is a change-maker in that realm. Doug Cuthand, reporter for the Star Phoenix out of Saskatoon, noted, Delia authored a book that outlined our history of Treaty and position within Canada. This book, The First Nations, Indians in the Community of Man, was a landmark publication and isSeven Generations Education Institutestill in use at universities across Canada. AzhemiinigoziwinAnother change that she has noticed overWomens Empowerment Programtime on her earth walk is the recognition of Treaty rights and Indigenous laws in the country, Opekokew says. When I startedAzhemiinigoziwin focuses on school, Indian agents were still in control,Anishinaabekweg revitalizing their and now we have our own people carryinginherent strength through education, our jurisdiction.Anishinaabemowin, cultural engagement, and other learning or skill development During her successful legal career,opportunities. Participants reclaim their self-esteem, self-confidence, and renew there are some things shes very proudtheir Anishinaabekweg identities.of. Opekokew has been able to focus on written and oral treaty. I recorded and listened to Elders and wrote aboutScan the QR code understanding the reasons why Firstto learn more!Nations wanted to have Treaties with the newcomers, she says. We had organized societies before we were discovered. She has also written extensively on consti-tutional law, Treaty and Indigenous rights. Ontario Native Womens Association33'