Gordon Belcourt (original) (raw)
Gordon Belcourt, or Meekskimeeksskumapi, (1945 – July 15, 2013) was an American Blackfeet and Native American tribal executive and social advocate. A member of the Blackfeet Tribe, Belcourt served as the executive director of the for fifteen years, from 1998 until his death in 2013. Belcourt was also instrumental in the establishment of a regional branch of the Tribal Institutional Review Board.
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| dbo:abstract | Gordon Belcourt, or Meekskimeeksskumapi, (1945 – July 15, 2013) was an American Blackfeet and Native American tribal executive and social advocate. A member of the Blackfeet Tribe, Belcourt served as the executive director of the for fifteen years, from 1998 until his death in 2013. Belcourt was born in 1945 and raised on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana. He was also named Meekskimeeksskumapi, which means "Mixed Iron Boy" in the Blackfoot language in honor of the battles that his uncle, Paul Home Gun Jr., had been involved in during the five years of World War II. His uncle had returned from the war shortly before Belcourt's birth. Belcourt was valedictorian of his graduating class at Browning High School, but initially resisted attending college. His principal at Browning High School informed him that he would be going to college. He was accepted to Santa Clara University, a Jesuit school in California, on a full ROTC scholarship. Belcourt achieved the rank of second lieutenant in the United States Army through the Santa Clara ROTC program. He earned his bachelor's degree from Santa Clara and began to pursue a law degree from the University of Montana. He met his wife, Cheryl, while attending Montana. Belcourt moved back to California after law school, where he earned a master's degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley. He then returned to Montana, where resided on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and in Missoula before settling in Billings, Montana. He served as the President of the Blackfeet Community College. He served as the Executive Director of the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council from 1998 to 2013. He has been widely credited with increasing the influence of the council. The Council, which was near bankruptcy in 1998, had just one employee when he began his tenure. Belcourt expanded the Council through development and grant writing. Under Belcourt, the Council acquired $5 million in funding in 2009 in combat alcohol abuse in Native American communities in Montana and Wyoming. Both of Montana's present United States Senators, Max Baucus and Jon Tester, sought Belcourt's advice on issues relevant to Native Americans, including the authorization of the and the creation of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010. In February 2013, called public attention to the high suicide rates in Native American communities. Belcourt was also instrumental in the establishment of a regional branch of the Tribal Institutional Review Board. The University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health honored Belcourt as one of its Public Health Heroes in 2003 for his work on Native American health care issues. In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Montana. Gordon Belcourt died of a long illness at St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings, Montana, at 7 a.m. on July 15, 2013, at the age of 68. He was survived by his wife of 43 years, Cheryl, and seven of their eight children - Sol, Paul Thunder, Annjeanette Elise, Jaime Ruth, Ben David, Alex Anson and Sienna Noel. His eighth daughter, Elena Katie, was murdered in 2001, which increased his determination to fight violence and crime. U.S. Senator Max Baucus called Belcourt a "wise and trusted leader," while Senator Jon Tester also praised him noting, "Gordon could always be counted on to use common sense to get to the heart of the issue and find a solution" whose death leaves "big shoes to fill." (en) Gordon Belcourt, ou Meekskimeeksskumapi, né en 1945 et décédé le 15 juillet 2013, est un dirigeant tribal américain des Pieds-Noirs et un défenseur des droits. En tant que membre de la tribu « Blackfeet » (Pieds-Noirs) Belcourt servit comme directeur exécutif du Conseil tribal du pendant quinze ans, de 1998 jusqu'à sa mort en 2013. Belcourt est né en 1945 et a grandi sur la réserve indienne Blackfeet au Montana. Il fut nommé Meekskimeeksskumapi, ce qui signifie « Mixed Iron Boy » (« Garçon du fer croisé ») en l'honneur des batailles auxquelles son oncle, Paul Home Gun Jr., avait été impliqué pendant les cinq années de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Son oncle revint de la guerre peu avant la naissance de Belcourt. Belcourt était major de sa promotion à Browning High School, mais résista dans un premier temps à l'université. Son directeur d'école secondaire l'informa qu'il irait à l'université. Il a été accepté à l' Université de Santa Clara, une école jésuite de Californie, grâce à une bourse complète du ROTC . Belcourt a obtenu le grade de sous-lieutenant dans l' armée des États-Unis grâce au programme ROTC de Santa Clara. Il y obtint son baccalauréat puis commença des études en droit à l'Université du Montana. Il rencontra sa future épouse, Cheryl, alors qu'il fréquentait le Montana. Belcourt retourna en Californie après ses études de droit, où il obtint une maîtrise en santé publique de l'Université de Californie à Berkeley. Il retourna au Montana, où il résidait à la réserve indienne de Blackfeet et à Missoula avant de s'installer à Billings, Montana. Il a été président du Blackfeet Community College. Il fut directeur général du Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council de 1998 à 2013. Il a été largement reconnu pour avoir accru l'influence du conseil. Le Conseil, qui était au bord de la faillite en 1998, n'avait qu'un seul employé lorsqu'il a commencé son mandat. Belcourt a élargi le Conseil grâce au développement et à la rédaction de subventions. Sous Belcourt, le Conseil acquit un financement de 5 millions de dollars (en 2009) pour lutter contre l'abus d'alcool dans les communautés amérindiennes du Montana et du Wyoming. Deux sénateurs américains du Montana, Max Baucus et Jon Tester, consultèrent l'avis de Belcourt sur des questions pertinentes pour les Amérindiens, y compris l'autorisation de l'Indian Healthcare Improvement Act et la création du Tribal Law and Order Act de 2010. En février 2013, ils attirèrent l'attention du public sur les taux élevés de suicide dans les communautés amérindiennes. Belcourt a également joué un rôle déterminant dans la création d'une section régionale du Conseil tribal de revue institutionnelle (Tribal Institutional Review Board). La Berkeley School of Public Health de l'Université de Californie honora Belcourt comme l'un de ses héros en santé publique (2003) pour son travail sur les problèmes de santé des Amérindiens. En 2007, il reçut un doctorat honorifique de l'Université du Montana. Gordon Belcourt est décédé d'une longue maladie à la clinique St. Vincent à Billings, Montana, à 7 heures du matin le 15 juillet 2013, à l'âge de 68 ans. Il laissa sa femme de 43 ans, Cheryl, et sept de leurs huit enfants - Sol, Paul Thunder, Annjeanette Elise, Jaime Ruth, Ben David, Alex Anson et Sienna Noel. Sa huitième fille, Elena Katie, a été assassinée en 2001, ce qui renforça alors sa détermination à lutter contre la violence et le crime. (fr) |
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| rdfs:comment | Gordon Belcourt, or Meekskimeeksskumapi, (1945 – July 15, 2013) was an American Blackfeet and Native American tribal executive and social advocate. A member of the Blackfeet Tribe, Belcourt served as the executive director of the for fifteen years, from 1998 until his death in 2013. Belcourt was also instrumental in the establishment of a regional branch of the Tribal Institutional Review Board. (en) Gordon Belcourt, ou Meekskimeeksskumapi, né en 1945 et décédé le 15 juillet 2013, est un dirigeant tribal américain des Pieds-Noirs et un défenseur des droits. En tant que membre de la tribu « Blackfeet » (Pieds-Noirs) Belcourt servit comme directeur exécutif du Conseil tribal du pendant quinze ans, de 1998 jusqu'à sa mort en 2013. Belcourt a également joué un rôle déterminant dans la création d'une section régionale du Conseil tribal de revue institutionnelle (Tribal Institutional Review Board). (fr) |
| rdfs:label | Gordon Belcourt (fr) Gordon Belcourt (en) |
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