Mary Two-Axe Earley

Born in Kahnawake, Two-Axe lost her Indian status upon marrying Edward Earley, an American non-Indigenous man, in 1938—a penalty applied under Section 12(1)(b) of the federal Indian Act solely to Indigenous women, not to Indigenous men who married non-Indigenous women. Returning to Kahnawake as a widow in 1969, she was threatened with eviction from her ancestral home.

In response, she co-founded Indian Rights for Indian Women and tirelessly lobbied the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, the United Nations, and the Canadian Parliament. Her unrelenting battle triumphed with Bill C-31 in 1985, allowing her and tens of thousands of women to return to their communities with full legal recognition.