Chief Old Person (1929 - 2021)
|
Dr. Earl Old Person was born in 1929 and was a member of the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana. He became chief of the Blackfeet tribe in 1978 after serving on the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council for 24 years. He holds the title for the longest-serving elected tribal leader in the country. Chief Old Person is renowned both locally, nationally, and across the world for his work and activism for Native American people. He received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Montana in 1994. He passed away in Browning, Montana in October 2021.
During his time as chief he was the honorary Master of Ceremonies at the Kyiyo Pow-Wow, a Pow-Wow held at the University since 1968, run by the Kyiyo Native American Student Association. The Native American Studies Department also created a scholarship in his name, awarded to a member of the Blackfeet Tribe. For more information on Chief Old Person please visit Kyiyo Native American Student Association and The New York Times article “Earl Old Person Chief of the Blackfeet Nation, Dies at 92.” For information about the Blackfeet Nation please visit Blackfeet Nation. |