Councillor Gordon Peters is a member of the Turtle Clan and is (Lunaapeew) Lenape from the Eelünaapéewi Lahkéewiit (Delaware Nation). He currently serves as a Councillor for Lenape Community Eelunapeewiit Lahkawiit. Councillor Peters has worked with First Nations, both in a political and non-political capacity, for over four decades applying his organizing knowledge to promote and develop indigenous sovereignty. He formerly held the position of Deputy Grand Chief, an elected position within the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians. Previously, Councillor Peters served as Ontario Regional Chief of Assembly of First Nations for 12 years and acted as head of the AIAI for 4 years. He is an author, educator, and is often invited to speak on First Nations and community economic and cultural development issues.
In addition to his work with the AIAI and Assembly of First Nations, Councillor Peters was instrumental in the construction of the Centre for Indigenous Sovereignty, a non-profit corporation that prioritizes the development and implementation of First Nation initiatives focused on the rebuilding of Indigenous communities. Through his work at the Centre, Peters played a key role in the preservation of the Lunaapeew language in the Delaware Nation in Southwest Ontario. Due to a history of pervasive and ongoing racism in Canada towards indigenous communities, earlier generations did not pass along this critical component of Lunaapeew culture and identity. In the past decade, Peters has worked with Elder Dianne Snake, the last fluent speaker of Lunaapeew, to train a new generation of Lunaapeew speakers. Through this collaborative process, Lunaapeew is now taught to youth in Delaware Nation public schools.