period of personal reflection, including much study with elders. Cardinal also acted as a negotiator and consultant to many First Nations relating to land and other issues, usually relating to treaty rights. Cardinal made a significant contribution to the work of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, as well as the work of the Assembly of First Nations, particularly on the need for recognition of the sovereignty of First Nations as expressed through their treaties with the Crown. His lifelong position has been that the spirit and intent of the treaties must be the principal instrument governing relations between First Nations and the Crown. Legal career After a career in First Nations politics and extensive study with First Nation elders, Cardinal undertook the formal study of law in his 40s. While studying law at the University of Saskatchewan he also served as an assistant professor at that University. He completed his LLM at Harvard University. A Doctorate in Law from the University of British Columbia was awarded to Cardinal days before his death in June, 2005. On November 4, 2004, two months before his 60th birthday, Cardinal was admitted to the Bar of Alberta. Other honours In 1999, Cardinal received an honorary doctor of laws from the University of Alberta in recognition of his unique achievements in leadership, public policy and law. In 2001 Cardinal received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, now the Indspire Awards, lifetime achievement award. Publications The Unjust Society: The Tragedy of Canada's Indians, Publisher: M.G.Hurtig Ltd.1969 (reprinted with a new introduction 2000). The Rebirth of Canada's Indians, 1977. Treaty Elders of Saskatchewan: Our Dream Is That Our Peoples Will One Day Be Clearly Recognized As Nations, 2000 (with Walter Hildebrandt.) Sources Cardinal, Harold. "Nation-Building as Process: Reflections of a Nihiyow (Cree), in DePasquale (ed.), Natives & Settlers, 2007. Cardinal, Harold. The Unjust Society. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1969. Cardinal, Harold. The Rebirth of Canada's Indians. Edmonton: Hurtig, 1977. Cardinal, Harold and Walter Hildebrandt. Treaty Elders of Saskatchewan. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2000. DePasquale, Paul (ed.). Natives & Settlers: Now & Then: Historical Issues and Current Perspectives on Treaties and Land Claims in Canada Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 2007. McLeod, Neal. Cree Narrative Memory. Saskatoon: Puritch Publishing, 2007. See also Notable Aboriginal people of Canada References 1945 births 2005 deaths Deaths from lung cancer 20th-century First Nations writers Canadian political writers Lawyers in Alberta Candidates