Norma Kassi Explained

Norma Kassi
Birth Date:10 April 1954
Birth Place:Aklavik, Northwest Territories
Office:MLA for Old Crow
Term Start:1985
Term End:1992
Predecessor:Kathie Nukon
Successor:Johnny Abel
Party:Yukon New Democratic Party
Occupation:environmentalist

Norma Kassi (born April 10, 1954) is a native Gwich'in from Yukon Territory, Canada,[1] and a former member of the Yukon Legislative Assembly and former chief of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation.[2] She was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2002,[3] together with Sarah James and Jonathon Solomon. They received the prize for their struggles for protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from plans of oil exploration and drilling. Oil and gas exploration would disturb the life cycle of the Porcupine caribou, which has been the foundation for the Gwich'in culture for 20,000 years.[3] In 2010 she was elected as Chief of the Vuntut Gwitchin.

References

  1. Book: Guide Parlementaire Canadien. Canada. Parliament. 1989. Gale Canada. 0315-6168. April 14, 2015.
  2. http://www.cbc.ca/yukonvotes2006/riding/015/ Yukon Votes 2006: Vuntut Gwitchin
  3. Goldman Environmental Prize: Norma Kassi (Retrieved on November 29, 2007)