A prominent First Nations historian, performer and activist has passed away.
Tyrone Tootoosis has died at the age of 58. The news was confirmed at his Facebook page this weekend.
A wake began on Monday and the funeral service was scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 11am at Poundmaker First Nation Veterans Hall.
Tootoosis is best known for his efforts in preserving and recounting the Cree culture. He was an active writer and columnist and was a tireless advocate for First Nations accountability.
In this region, Tootoosis was prominent in the effort to lobby Parks Canada to drop references to the “Siege of Battleford”, making the point that the events of 1885 at Fort Battleford were not a “siege” at all. In 2010 Parks Canada agreed to drop that reference.
More recently, he was involved in the Kisiskatchewan Water Alliance Network which was formed in the aftermath of the Husky oil spill into the North Saskatchewan River.
