J. Wilton "Willie" Littlechild , (born April 1, 1944) is a Cree lawyer and chief, former Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations , former member of Parliament , and residential school survivor . He is known for his work nationally and internationally on Indigenous rights. He was born in Hobbema, now named Maskwacis, Alberta. Wilton Littlechild was brought to residential school at the age of six, spending 14 years in the system until his completion of high school. He witnessed and experienced abuses during that time. As a young man, he was a successful athlete who won ten Athlete of the Year Awards. He graduated with a Bachelor of Physical Education degree in 1967, then obtained a master's degree in physical education from the University of Alberta in 1975. During his time in university, he played on the hockey and swimming team. He later became the first status Indian from Alberta to obtain a law degree, which was earned at the University of Alberta in 1976. That year, the Cree Nations bestowed him with a headdress as an Honourary Chief and endowed him with his grandfather's Cree name, Mahihgan Pimoteyw, which means Walking Wolf. He was a member of the 1977 Indigenous delegation to the United Nations and worked on the UN's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) . He won the national Tom Longboat Award in 1967 and 1974,Forsyth, Janice. Defining the Tom Longboat Awards, 1951-2001. PhD dissertation, University of Western Ontario, 2005, p. 10. and was one of the founders of the North American Indigenous Games, begun in 1990 in Edmonton, Alberta. He has also consistently advocated for the creation of the World Indigenous Games, which provides competitive events for Indigenous athletes from around the world. In 2006, Littlechild was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians,Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians, Remarks of J. Wilton Littlechild in the Senate of Canada, June 5 , 2006, on the occasion of receipt of the Distinguished Service Award, Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians. Retrieved 2011-03-19. awarded for "outstanding contributions to the promotion and understanding of Canada's parliamentary system of government".Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians, Distinguished Service Award . Retrieved 2011-03-19. Littlechild received the Indspire Award for law and justice in 2015. On November 30 , 2016  he became Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, becoming the first "non-sitting" chief to hold the position, and subsequently served for three years. In 2018, he was inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. In 2019, Littlechild won the Pearson Peace Medal
J. Wilton Littlechild (born 1944) , known as Willie Littlechild, is a Canadian lawyer and Cree chief who served as Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations and as a member of Parliament . A residential school survivor , he is known for his work nationally and internationally on Indigenous rights. He was born in Hobbema, now named Maskwacis, Alberta. Littlechild was born on 1 April 1944 in Hobbema, Alberta. He was brought to residential school at the age of six, spending 14 years in the system until his completion of high school. He witnessed and experienced abuses during that time. As a young man, he was a successful athlete who won ten Athlete of the Year Awards. He graduated with a Bachelor of Physical Education degree in 1967, then obtained a master's degree in physical education from the University of Alberta in 1975. During his time in university, he played on the hockey and swimming team. He later became the first status Indian from Alberta to obtain a law degree, which was earned at the University of Alberta in 1976. That year, the Cree Nations bestowed him with a headdress as an honorary chief and endowed him with his grandfather's Cree name, Mahihgan Pimoteyw, which means Walking Wolf. He was a member of the 1977 Indigenous delegation to the United Nations and worked on the UN's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples . He won the national Tom Longboat Award in 1967 and 1974,Forsyth, Janice. Defining the Tom Longboat Awards, 1951–2001. PhD dissertation, University of Western Ontario, 2005, p. 10. and was one of the founders of the North American Indigenous Games, begun in 1990 in Edmonton, Alberta. He has also consistently advocated for the creation of the World Indigenous Games, which provides competitive events for Indigenous athletes from around the world. In 2006, Littlechild was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians,Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians, Remarks of J. Wilton Littlechild in the Senate of Canada, 5 June 2006, on the occasion of receipt of the Distinguished Service Award, Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians. Retrieved 19 March 2011. awarded for "outstanding contributions to the promotion and understanding of Canada's parliamentary system of government".Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians, Distinguished Service Award . Retrieved 19 March 2011. Littlechild received the Indspire Award for law and justice in 2015. On 30 November 2016 , he became Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, becoming the first "non-sitting" chief to hold the position, and subsequently served for three years. In 2018, he was inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. In 2019, Littlechild won the Pearson Peace Medal
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