George Manuel
| George Manuel | |
|---|---|
| Chief of the National Indian Brotherhood | |
|
In office 1970–1976 |
|
| Preceded by | Walter Dieter |
| Succeeded by | Noel Starblanket |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 21, 1921 British Columbia |
| Died | November 15, 1989 (aged 68) |
George Manuel, OC (February 21, 1921 – November 15, 1989) was an Aboriginal leader in Canada. In the 1970s, he was chief of the National Indian Brotherhood (known today as the Assembly of First Nations).
Manuel was born to Maria and Rainbow in 1921, on the Secwepemc territory of the Shuswap people. Maria later married Louie Manuel and George took his last name. He was first educated at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, but contracted tuberculosis and was transferred to an Indian TB hospital on an Indian reservation near Chilliwack, British Columbia. It was there that Manuel met the woman who would become his first wife, Marceline Paul, a Kootenai woman from St. Mary's Indian Band. Together Manuel and Paul would have six children.
Unfortunately, Manuel's developing responsibilities as a political leader began to be a growing strain on his marriage. He was elected chief of the Neskonlith Indian Band. In 1959, following the death of his mentor Andy Paull, Manuel was elected head of the North American Indian Brotherhood. Soon after, he and Marceline separated. Not long after this, the federal Department of Indian Affairs hired Manuel for a position with the Cowichan Tribes government at Duncan. Manuel worked as a Community Development Officer, and increased the awareness of problems and conditions the Cowichan people were experiencing.
Manuel moved on from this position to a role with the Alberta Brotherhood, and developed a strong working relationship with the Cree political leader Harold Cardinal. Manuel networked extensively with chiefs across Canada during his time with the Alberta Brotherhood. Eventually Cardinal approached him to run for the position of national chief of the newly created National Indian Brotherhood, a body that would represent almost 250,000 Indians. After some time the National Indian Brotherhood would rename itself as the Assembly of First Nations, and Manuel would serve as its national chief from 1970 to 1976.
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