Alexander Wuttunee Decoteau, ( 19 November 1887 – 30 October 1917), was a Cree

Cree

The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...

 Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 track and field athlete

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

 who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics

1912 Summer Olympics

The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...

. He was also the first aboriginal police officer in Canada.

Alexander was born on the Red Pheasant Indian Reserve (Saskatchewan)

Red Pheasant First Nation

Red Pheasant First Nation is a Cree Nation located 33 km south of North Battleford.Chief Wuttunee's people were living along the Battle River when the Numbered Treaties were being negotiated...

. He attended school there and at the Battleford Industrial School. He moved to Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

 where the City Police hired him as a constable in 1909. He made sergeant in 1914. During this period he won most major middle or long distance races in western Canada. In 1912 he finished sixth in the 5000 metres competition

Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 5000 metres

The men's 5000 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the debut of the event, which along with the 10000 metre event replaced the 5 mile race held at the 1908 Summer Olympics...

.

Alex was killed by a sniper in 1917, during the Second Battle of Passchendaele.

Many of DeCoteau’s accomplishments are included in the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame, where he was inducted a member in 1967. Also, the Edmonton Police Museum and Archives contains may of his personal and military trophies and awards. In 1985, the Cree performed a ceremony in Edmonton "to bring his spirit home". Honours were provided by the Red Pheasant Band, the Edmonton Police Service and the Canadian army.

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Memorial Museum page 36.
• Alex Decoteau (Ed Dixon)
• Alex Decoteau at the Alberta Sport Hall of Fame & Museum
• Alex Decoteau: Difficult beginnings, life of achievement, biography by Cheryl Petten at the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society
  Aboriginal Multi-Media Society
  The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society is an Aboriginal publisher in Canada. AMMSA was established in 1983. AMMSA launched its first publication in March 1983 - simply titled AMMSA...
  
  
• Alex Decoteau Heritage Edukit of the Heritage Community Foundation