Iikaisskini Indigenous Studies Gala: An Evening in Celebration of Dr. Leroy Little Bear

Leroy Little Bear was born and raised on the Blood Indian Reserve (Kainai First Nation), approximately 70 km west of Lethbridge, Alberta. He was one of the first Indigenous students to complete a program of study at the University of Lethbridge. He continued his education at the College of Law, University of Utah, in Salt Lake City, completing a Juris Doctor Degree in 1975.

Following his graduation, Little Bear returned to his alma mater as a founding member of Canada's first Native American Studies Department. He remained at ULethbridge as a researcher, faculty member and department chair until his official retirement in 1997.

In recent years, Little Bear has continued his influential work as an advocate for First Nations education. From January 1998 to June 1999, he served as Director of the Harvard University Native American Program. Upon his return to Canada, he was instrumental in the creation of a Bachelor of Management in First Nations Governance at ULethbridge, the only program of its kind in the country at the time.

In the spring of 2003, Little Bear was awarded the prestigious National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Education, the highest honour bestowed by the First Nations community in Canada. Little Bear was named ULethbridge Alumnus of the Year in 2003 and was an honorary degree rceipient in 2024. He also has an honorary doctorate from the University of Northern British Columbia. Along with his wife, Amethyst First Rider, Little Bear brought about the historic Buffalo Treaty between First Nations on both sides of the USA-Canada border in 2014. Little Bear was inducted into the Alberta Order Excellence and the Order of Canada in 2016 and 2019, respectively.

Little Bear had a role in the first draft of the UNDRIP and the inclusion of Aboriginal and treaty rights in the Constitution of Canada. Little Bear was also a major proponent in drafting Kainaisini, a declaration by the Blood Tribe and the Declaration of the Blackfoot Confederacy.

After a lifetime of educational service, Little Bear remains a dedicated and dynamic teacher and mentor to students and faculty at the University of Lethbridge. He continues to pursue new research interests including North American Indian science and western physics, and the exploration of Blackfoot knowledge through songs, stories and landscape. Presently, Little Bear is a Vice-Provost for Iniskim Indigenous Relations at the University of Lethbridge.

Explore the digitized history of Dr. Little Bear's life at ULethbridge