Louise Halfe

Angela Van Essen (University of Alberta)

Ed. by Renate Eigenbrod, University of Manitoba
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.1.5: Indigenous Writing and Culture of North America - Canada.
Vol. editors: Joshua Bartlett (High Point University), Renate Eigenbrod (University of Manitoba), Sarah Henzi (Simon Fraser University), Padraig Kirwan (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Glen Nichols (Mount Allison University), Wendy Roy (University of Saskatchewan), Denis Salter (McGill University), Karis Shearer (University of British Columbia)

Dates

Born 1953
Activity 1990-ongoing

Places

Born in Canada
Active in Canada

Cultural Identities

First Nations/Indigenous Canadian

Activities

Primary

Poet

Resources

Halfe's Works

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Louise Bernice Halfe, whose Cree name can be loosely translated into English as

Sky Dancer

, was born in Two Hills Alberta in 1953. She grew up with her family on the Saddle Lake Reserve in Alberta, but because of the enforced Canadian law that required all First Nations children to attend Indian residential schools (IRS), she was taken away at age seven by Indian Affairs agents in order to attend Blue Quills Residential School. This experience, according to Halfe, “destroyed my family” (interview with Ian Ferrier, np). However, unlike many other IRS survivors, she was able to keep her first language (nêhiyawêwin or Plains Cree) and as a young adult she renewed and revitalized her cultural connections that had “gone to sleep” while attending the residential school for nearly ten…

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1522 words

Citation: Van Essen, Angela. "Louise Halfe". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 February 2014; last revised 14 September 2018. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5350, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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