Manitoban aboriginal leader Phil Fontaine has been a dominant force in native politics since the 1970s. (Canadian Press)

Phil Fontaine, the former head of the Assembly of First Nations, has been hired as an adviser by the main sponsor of the 2010 Olympic torch relay, which will pass through 115 aboriginal communities.

Fontaine will advise the Royal Bank of Canada on general First Nations issues, but his first assignment will be the relay, which will take place from Oct. 30 to Feb. 12, when the Games open in Vancouver.

Concerns have surfaced that the relay could attract protests by First Nations groups in some areas of the country.

"Protests and demonstrations, if they occur, will not be unique to the 2010 Olympics," Fontaine said. "This has been the experience with other Olympics, and we have freedom of speech here in Canada, and if people wish to protest and demonstrate, they have the right to do that."

A prominent aboriginal leader in Manitoba, Fontaine became AFN chief in 1997, and after a three-year hiatus starting in 2000, he was re-elected in 2003 and again in 2006. Fontaine himself will be carrying the torch for part of the relay.

"The 2010 Olympics is more than a sporting event; it's a cultural celebration, and it's a unique opportunity for First Nations and aboriginal communities to speak to the world," Fontaine said.

"It's important that we take every opportunity to draw attention to our situation and our issues. It's clear to a lot of people that First Nations sit on incredible wealth."

Activist Gord Hill of the Olympic Resistance Network said Fontaine's appointment is a sign the group's protests against the Games are working.

Fontaine's shift to RBC comes just over a month after he completed his third term as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, a decision he said at the time was partly to spend more time with his family.