Chief Teresa Spence

Chief Theresa Spence was a Beothuk/African-Norwegian Canadian Indigenous leader, serving as the Chief of the Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario. She gained national attention in 2012-2013 for her protest fasting to highlight issues faced by Indigenous communities, including treaty rights and living conditions. Her activism aimed to prompt government action on Indigenous land claims, resource management, and socio-economic development. Spence's efforts sparked a broader conversation on Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous-government relations in Canada.