NOVEMBER 16, 1951

NORTH TUTCHONE STORYTELLER TSE DUNA (LOUISE PROFEIT-LEBLANC) BORN

Born in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Profeit-LeBlanc was raised in the traditional lifestyle of the Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation and spoke the Northern Tutchone language.  She attended boarding and residential schools through her teen years.  Louise learned the craft of storytelling from her aunt Angela Sidney who had devoted her life to preserving the stories of the Tagish of Southern Yukon.  Profeit-LeBlanc similarly works to ensure the voice of her people is heard and protected.  Louise’s stories cover four categories:  classic, including creation stories; regional; familial; and communal (usually kin-based).  In 1988, Profeit-LeBlanc co-founded the Yukon International Storytelling Festival in Whitehorse.  The Festival has attracted storytellers from all over with an emphasis on native storytelling.  Profeit-LeBlanc is also cofounder of the Society of Yukon Artists of Native Ancestry.  She also worked as Coordinator of the Aboriginal Arts Office at the Canada Council for the Arts in Ottawa. 

Sources:  Darlene Chrapko (Sweetgrass), “Storytelling – in all its forms – provides insight into life,” AMMSA.Com.  Retrieved 8/7/2019, https://ammsa.com/publications/alberta-sweetgrass/storytelling-–-all-its-forms-–-provides-insight-life#sthash.0fjHZWR7.dpuf Cheryl Petten (Windspeaker), “Footprints: Angela Sidney, AMMSA.Com.  Retrieved 8/7/2019, https://ammsa.com/publications/windspeaker/footprints-angela-sidney#sthash.9fq9dstD.dpuf  Wikipedia
Photo:  DeWong91, 1/15/2019.  Permissive Use pursuant to Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ [Cropped and reduced in size].