Bertha Allen
Bertha Allen ( Moses; 1934 – 7 May 2010) was a Vuntut Gwitchin women's rights and aboriginal rights advocate. She was a recipient of the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case and is a Member of the Order of Canada. She was the founding president of the Native Women's Association of the Northwest Territories, as well as serving as president of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women in the Northwest Territories and president of the Native Women's Association of Canada. A member of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation of Old Crow, Yukon, she married Victor Allen, an Inuvialuit man, and had six children. Allen died of cancer in 2010. Early life Allen was born in Old Crow, Yukon, and raised by her grandparents. At the age of 12, she was sent to a mission school in Aklavik, where she studied for 5 years. She attended Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, formerly known as Grant MacEwan Community College, to take courses in life-skill coaching and leadership. Awards and Accolades 1987: NWT Commissioner’s Volunteer Award, highest level 1987: National Health and Welfare Canadian Volunteer Award 1999: Governor General Award 2005: National Aboriginal Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award 2006: