Tonya Gonnella Frichner (September 19, 1947 – February 14, 2015) was an American activist and lawyer, known for her Indigenous international work, particularly for her contributions to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Tonya Gonnella Frichner was born in Syracuse, New York, on Sept. 19, 1947. Her father, Henry, worked construction and her mother, Maxine, served on the school board, where, as an Onondaga, she sought to promote a Native American curriculum. Maxine and Tonya were citizens of the Onondaga Nation (Snipe Clan), and Maxine's brother was an Onondaga chief.[1][2]
Frichner graduated from St. John's Catholic Academy, a high school in Syracuse. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree, magna cum laude, from St. John's University in New York City in 1980 and her Juris Doctor from the City University of New York School of Law in 1987.
Simultaneously, she taught Federal Indian Law, Human Rights Law and Native American History at several New York City-area colleges and universities, including City College, the City University of New York (1991-1999); Hunter College (1993); New York University (1994); and Manhattanville College (2000-2008).
Frichner, Tonya Gonnella (2010). "The Preliminary Study on the Doctrine of Discovery". Pace Envtl. L. Rev. 28: 339.
Frichner, Tonya Gonnella (2010). "Impact on Indigenous Peoples of the International Legal construct known as the Doctrine of Discovery, which has served as the Foundation of the Violation of their Human Rights". Preliminary study reported at the Ninth United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, New York.
Frichner, Tonya Gonnella (1999). "Foreward: Flying Eagle Woman". City University of New York Law Review. 3 (1): 39.
Frichner, Tonya Gonnella (2010). "The Indian Child Welfare Act: A national law controlling the welfare of Indigenous children". American Indian Law Alliance.
Frichner, Tonya Gonnella (2010). "Impact on Indigenous Peoples of the International Legal Construct Known as the Doctrine of Discovery, Which has Served as the Foundation of the Violation of their Human Rights (E/C. 19/2010/13)". Retrieved from Economic and Social Council. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues website: https://undocs. org/E/C. Vol. 19. p. 13.
Frichner, Tonya Gonnella. "Special Rapporteur.(2010)". Preliminary Study of the Impact on Indigenous Peoples of the International Legal Construct Known as the Doctrine of Discovery.