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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Local aboriginal rights leader Georges Erasmus is the newest recipient of the Governor General's Northern Medal.

The Northern Medal was created by former governor general Adrienne Clarkson in 2005.

Clarkson "was very, very fond of the North and very, very interested in enhancing the quality of life for those living in the North," said Rideau Hall spokesperson Marie-Paule Thorn.

The medal is awarded to a citizen whose actions and achievements have contributed to the evolution of the North as part of Canada's identity.

Past recipients of the Northern Medal are Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Nellie Cournoyea and Bertha Allen.

Erasmus currently serves as the chief negotiator for the Dehcho First Nations. He is also president of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, which helps individuals and communities deal with the traumatic effects of the residential schools.

His brother, Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus, said, "Georges was fortunate to have a strong family background and was able to stay at home to receive his education and upbringing. He was asked to lead among his people, the Dene, when they still lived their traditional lifestyle; practising and implementing their own economies, cultures, political institutions and land affiliation as original provided to them."

Erasmus has been acclaimed for his work and leadership in promoting aboriginal rights and improving living standards in Northern communities.

He grew up in the NWT in the 1950s and was elected president of the Dene Nation in 1976. Erasmus later served as elected national chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 1985 to 1991, guiding First Nations through turbulent times, including the Oka crisis between the Mohawk Nation and police and the Canadian army in Oka, Quebec, in 1990. He was also appointed co-chair of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples by then-prime minister Brian Mulroney. Erasmus was recognized with a public service award at the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards in 1998.

Georges Erasmus, who resides in Yellowknife, could not be reached for comment.