Artifact 5: Photograph of Mary Two-Axe Early receiving the Governer General's awards for the Persons Case.

Mary Two-Axe Early was born to a Mohawk father and an Oneida mother. She married an Irish man in 1938, stripping her of her Indian status. It took her a long time of seeing other women’s hardships to realize that losing her status meant losing her identity and self-governance. Two-Axe became a women’s rights activist, appearing frequently in court and fighting for Indigenous women’s rights well into her old age.

This photo, taken in 1979, shows Mary Two-Axe Earley receiving an award from the Governor General for the Persons Case in 1929, a case that ruled women as “persons” and allowed women to be in the Senate of Canada. The award symbolizes her years of contributions to women’s rights and gender equality. She pressured for change in the Indian Act, for Indigenous women’s right to gain Indian status. In 1985, with the passing of Bill C-31, Mary Two-Axe Earley became the first Indigenous woman to get her Indian status back.

Mary Two-Axe Earley is one of the many influential women in politics. To this day, her work still gives many Indigenous women of all ages hope and the confidence to stand up to sexually discriminatory policies.

Bibliography:

Montour, Courtney, dir. Mary Two-Axe Earley: I am Indian Again. Montreal, CA: National Film Board of Canada, 2021. https://www.nfb.ca/film/mary-two-axe-earley/

Sharpe, Robert J., and Patricia I. McMahon. The Persons Case: The Origins and Legacy of the Fight for Legal Personhood. Toronto: Buffalo, 2007. Scholars Portal Books.