Two new winners were unveiled for the 37th annual Jeanne Clarke awards hosted by the Prince George Public Library.
Indigenous musician Kym Gouchie was given the Service Award.
Gouchie uses her gifts to tell the stories, struggles, and strengths of her ancestors, bringing awareness to Northern BC and the world through her songs and spoken words.
She demonstrated that by the interactive videos she made in partnership with School District 57 that help to preserve Lheidli T’enneh history, culture, Dakelh language.
“I feel that I am truly living in her footsteps and honouring her legacy”, Gouchie said.
“I am standing here because I am a cycle breaker and I want something different for my life, for my children, for my grandchildren, for my great grandchildren. And so, I believe that’s what inspires me to do the work that I am doing and to share these messages through music.”
In addition, the 2022 Publication Award was bestowed to Wendy Proverbs for her novel Aggie and Mudgy: The Journey of Two Kaska Dena Children, published in 2021.
Proverbs’ novel focuses not on the sisters’ experience in residential school, but on the harrowing 1,600-kilometre expedition that took the sisters from their home in Daylu (Lower Post) to Lejac Residential School on the shores of Fraser Lake.
Proverbs explained that “writing Aggie and Mudgy has been a very personal journey for me. I have grown closer to my ancestral routes and I am pleased to have met new family members as my Kaska Dena family has grown since the publication.”
The Jeanne Clarke Local History Award was established by the Library Board in 1985 to recognize individuals or groups for outstanding contributions in the preservation and promotion of local and regional history.
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