Mini Aodla Freeman
| Mini Aodla Freeman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1936 (age 79–80) Cape Hope Island, James Bay |
| Nationality | Inuk |
| Occupation | Author, Translator |
| Notable work | Life Among the Qallunaat |
Mini Aodla Freeman is an Inuk author who was born in 1936 on Cape Hope Island in James Bay. During the 1950s she spent her teens training as a nurse in Fort George, now Chisasibi, Quebec. In 1957 she was working as a translator in Ottawa, translating Inuktitut for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.[1]
She is best known for her work writing her memoirs titled Life Among the Qallunaat, which was first published in 1978. It details her life living in Inuit communities, her journey of learning while living outside those communities, as well as the changes that occurred in the Inuit communities during the 1940s and 1950s.[2]
The book had a rough initial release when the Indian and Northern Affairs attempted to suppress it by hiding 3,000 copies in their basement. It took three years before her work started being distributed in the north, and was not heard of until it was republished by University of Manitoba Press.[3]
References
- ↑ "InFocus: Life Among the Qallunaat - APTN National News". APTN National News. 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
- ↑ "Life Among the Qallunaat | University of Manitoba Press". uofmpress.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
- ↑ "Culture shock: Mini Aodla Freeman recalls moving from James Bay to Ottawa in the 1950s". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-20.