Tsúut’ínà Nation Elder Bruce Starlight, a lifelong advocate for Indigenous language and culture, is being honoured with a new Canada Post stamp.
In a press release, Canada Post said it marked the occasion with a celebration held June 19 in Tsúut’ínà Nation, near Calgary, one day ahead of the official release. The stamp will be issued June 20 as part of the fourth set in Canada Post’s Indigenous Leaders series.
Bruce Starlight and his family with his stamp at today’s unveiling. (Canada Post)
Starlight, also known as Dit’óní Didlishí (Spotted Eagle), has spent more than 50 years working to preserve the Tsúut’ínà language. Born in 1947, he later studied linguistics at the University of Calgary and began compiling an alphabet, word lists and phrases after becoming frustrated by the lack of support for Tsúut’ínà instruction.
Canada Post highlighted Starlight’s decades of service, including his time as a councillor in the 1970s, his work at the Sarcee Cultural Survival Camp, and his election in 1992 as the first Indigenous director on the Calgary Stampede Board.
Starlight helped found the Tsúut’ínà Gunáhà Násʔághà institute in 2008 and has created dictionaries, recordings and educational materials for language revitalization. He stepped down as Tsúut’ínà Nation’s language commissioner in 2022 but continues to serve as an advisor. In 2023, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Mount Royal University.
The stamp, designed by Andrew Perro with photography by Richard Anseeuw, features Starlight wearing a Treaty 7 medallion and Hudson’s Bay blanket coat. It will be issued in a booklet of six Permanent™ stamps, with a souvenir sheet and Official First Day Cover cancelled in Calgary, bearing an eagle emblem.
This year’s Indigenous Leaders set also honours Julia Haogak Ogina and Sophie McDougall. According to Canada Post, the stamps and related collectibles will be available starting June 20 at canadapost.ca and select postal outlets.
