Louise Profeit-LeBlanc facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louise Profeit-LeBlanc
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Louise Profeit-LeBlanc (2019)
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| Born | November 16, 1951 Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
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| Occupation | Canada Council for the Arts |
| Organization | Yukon International Storytelling Festival Society of Yukon Artists of Native Ancestry |
| Known for | Storyteller, keeper of the stories, cultural educator, artist, writer |
| Spouse(s) | Robert LeBlanc |
| Children | Ellenise, Krystal, Tanana |
Louise Profeit-LeBlanc is a talented storyteller, artist, and writer from the Northern Tutchone Nation in Yukon, Canada. She grew up in a place called Mayo. She helps teach people about her culture and even writes movie scripts!
Contents
Growing Up and School
Louise Profeit-LeBlanc grew up in the area of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun in the Yukon Territory. This First Nation is also known as the "First Nation of the Big River People." She learned to speak the Northern Tutchone language, which is an Athabaskan language. Many people in her community still live a traditional lifestyle. They get food from the land and also have jobs.
When Louise was young, she went to a boarding school. But her grandmother took her out. Her grandmother felt the teachers were focusing too much on "sin" instead of learning about God.
Later, as a teenager, Louise attended the Yukon Hall residential school in Whitehorse, Yukon. These schools were part of a sad time in Canadian history.
"150,000 children were taken from their families and placed in residential schools across the nation. Some of these children were flown out of their communities to distant places for the entire year while others were placed in schools just down the road from their traditional lands and homes to work on farms or in the textile industry."
Her Work and Career
Becoming a Storyteller
Louise Profeit-LeBlanc learned how to tell stories from her aunt, Angela Sidney. Angela worked hard to save the stories of the Tagish people in Southern Yukon. Louise grew up listening to her Kookum (grandmother) tell stories. She learned how to make an audience interested in her tales.
Angela Sidney taught Louise important rules for storytelling. These included thinking about the audience and saying a prayer before telling a story. Louise became a "keeper of stories" for the Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation. This means she protects and shares their important oral histories.
...has come from a long line of storytellers and is now the keeper of many of these stories of the ancient and not so distant past. For 15 years she worked with her people all over the Yukon to ensure that the oral histories and stories of the First Nations people were recorded and transcribed for posterity. Cofounder of the Yukon International Storytelling festival, Yukon and the Society of Yukon Artists of Native Ancestry, Louise has attempted to ensure the voice of her people is heard and will be protected for the future generations. This voice and information is a gift that her people must share for the betterment of the world."
Louise Profeit-LeBlanc explains that there are four main types of Aboriginal stories in the Yukon:
- Classic stories: These are old stories, like how the world was made. For example, how the crow created the universe.
- Regional stories: These are like folk tales. They talk about the Yukon's environment and how people connect with places.
- Family stories: These stories belong to specific families.
- Community stories: These are true accounts of things that happened in the local community.
Yukon International Storytelling Festival
In the 1980s, Louise Profeit-LeBlanc and Anne Taylor started the Yukon International Storytelling Festival. This festival takes place every summer in Whitehorse. Louise's aunt, Angela Sidney, was a big inspiration for the festival. Angela was one of the last people to speak the Tagish language. She had to travel far to share her people's stories. Louise and Anne wanted to create a place closer to home for Yukon stories to be shared.
The first festival happened in 1988. Over time, it grew to include storytellers from all over the world. It especially focused on stories from Indigenous peoples and countries around the North Pole.
Supporting Artists
Louise Profeit-LeBlanc also helped start the Society of Yukon Artists of Native Ancestry. This group supports artists who have Indigenous roots in the Yukon.
She also worked for the Canada Council for the Arts in Ottawa. This organization helps many Indigenous artists in Canada and other countries. For example, they helped artist Rebecca Belmore show her work at a big art event called the Venice Biennale. They also helped the hip-hop band A Tribe Called Red perform at music festivals around the world.
Personal Life
Louise Profeit-LeBlanc has also served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada. This is a governing body for the Bahá'í Faith in Canada.
