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Alestine Andre was born in 1951 in Aklavik, NWT to Eliza (Sam) and Hyacinthe Andre. She lived on the land with her family until the age of six. Beginning in 1958, Andre attended school at the RC Mission School in Aklavik, Grollier Hall in Inuvik, Akaitcho Hall in Yellowknife, and she graduated from Samuel Hearne Secondary School in Inuvik. Alestine Andre spent her summers with her family at their camp.

Andre graduated with a diploma in Public Administration from Camosun College in 1987, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Women’s Studies from the University of Victoria in 1994, and with a Master’s degree in Ethnobotany from the University of Victoria in 2006.

Alestine Andre worked for CBC Radio in Inuvik, the Committee for Original Peoples’ Entitlement (COPE, now the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation), and the Mackenzie Delta Tribal Council (now Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC)). In 1994, Andre began her career with the Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute (GSCI, now the GTC’s Department of Cultural Heritage). During her time with GSCI, Andre worked as Cultural Director, Executive Director, and Heritage Researcher.

Alestine Andre’s contributions to culture and heritage have been recognized by a number of organizations. In 2005, Andre was awarded a Gwich’in Achievement Award by the GTC in the career category of Gwich’in Culture. In 2007, Andre was awarded a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the category of Culture, Heritage and Spirituality. In 2012, Andre was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

William Bonnetplume was a Gwich’in artist who created oil paintings, pen and ink drawings, political cartoons, and at times wood sculpture.

He was born in 1946 or 1947 near Aklavik to Sarah (Mitchell) Bonnetplume and Paul Bonnetplume and was raised in the Aklavik area. He attended All Saints Anglican Residential School in Aklavik before 1959, where he began painting and drawing. He attended Inuvik Federal School beginning in 1959-1960, and lived in Stringer Hall. After, he lived in Akaitcho Hall (Yellowknife Federal Hostel) while attending Sir John Franklin School in Yellowknife.

He was living in Yellowknife in the 1970s and appears to have mostly made art in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1979 his drawings were featured in a booklet on Gwich’in traditional games (James Ross, Dinjii Zhuh Dene Games). His political cartoons were featured in The Native Press and later in Denendeh: A Dene Celebration (Dene Nation, René Fumoleau, 1984). In the 1980s his work was exhibited at galleries in Yellowknife (Toa-Chen’s Gallery, Twin Pines Motor Hotel, Arctic Art Gallery), in Calgary, and at the Arctic Arts Gallery in Edmonton. In 1990, his work was featured in an exhibition at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife. Several of his paintings from the 1970s are currently held at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.

He died in Edmonton in 2001 at age 55.

In the 1960s and 1970s, a group of concerned individuals began a project to record the legends and life experiences of the Inuvialuit, Gwich'in (Loucheux) and North Slavey (Hareskin) people. Two of the leaders of this project were Nellie Cournoyea and Oblate priest Father Lemeur. To help finance the project, a deal was arranged with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Inuvik, where Nellie Cournoyea was working. The plan provided a small remuneration for the person interviewed to be paid out when the recording was broadcast. The recordings were intended to be used in various communities as research material for school curriculum, to preserve the legends and life stories of the elders and to help promote Indigenous language literacy.

Nap Norbert was born in Tsiigehtchic (Arctic Red River) on January 29, 1917. His parents were Manual and Caroline Norbert. Nap had two sisters, Agnes and Mary Anne, and one brother Harry. Nap's mother, Caroline married Louis Cardinal after Manual Norbert died. Caroline and Louis had four children, Sonny, Billy, Alma and Rose Cardinal. Nap's stepfather, Louis Cardinal had six children with his first wife Catherine Firth: Agnes (Cardinal) Blake of Fort McPherson, Ethel Cardinal, Violet (Cardinal) Jerome of Inuvik, Rudolph, Alice Margaret and adopted son John. Nap attended school in Fort Providence for approximately five years, returning home to Tsiigehtchic in 1929. He married Mary Norman in 1940 and they had seven children: Henry, Caroline, Bertha, Agnes, Archie, Lucy and Annie Rose. After Mary Norbert died, Nap married Annie (Moses) Niditchie of Tsiigehtchic in 1952. Annie and Nap had three children: James, Lawrence and Dennis. Nap Norbert spent approximately 15 years working on boats operating on the Mackenzie River. During this period, he spent some time working on the "Pelican Rapids", a Hudson's Bay Company boat. During the winter, Nap earned a living as a hunter and trapper. Nap Norbert passed away in 200[3?].

Paul Vaudrack, AKA Voudrach or Vaudrak, (1890-1975) was born Paul Voedjin Tchiatsell in March 1890 at Tsiigehtchic [Arctic Red River]. His father was Simon Voedzjin (1851-1895) and his mother was Noelia Thell’ya (1862-1901). Paul had three sisters and one brother.

At the time of his father’s death in 1895, Paul and his family lived with a group of people who lived on the land. Until his mother’s death six years later, the family travelled with this group of people between Dawson, Yukon and Arctic Red River, N.W.T. In 1903, Paul met the priest at Arctic Red River who recommended that Paul, his younger sister and brother go to the Mission in Fort Providence. At Fort Providence, Paul went to school and worked for the Mission for three years. He learned primarily French and later English at school. In 1906, Bishop Breynat asked Paul to move to Fort Resolution with him where Paul worked at the Mission sawmill for two years. Paul left Fort Resolution at age 18 to live on the land, and went back to the mountains to hunt for big game with a group of people.

Paul married Magdeleine Kotchile (? – 1932?) in Fort Good Hope. They had three children, one of whom died in infancy. Paul Vaudrack died at the Inuvik hospital on August 21, 1975.

Paul was a storyteller, recounting and recording many traditional Gwich’in, Slavey and Athapaskan stories. He recorded stories with researchers Hiroko Sue and Janice (Hurlbert) March in 1961, which were published by Ronald Cohen and Helgi Osterreich in 1967 in the National Museum of Canada’s Contributions to Ethnology V: Bulletin 204. As well, he recorded stories through the 1960s with Father Rene Fumoleau.

Enna Rose Vittrekwa is a Gwich'in language expert. She was born to William and Mary Vittrekwa in Fort McPherson on January 22, 1950. Enna was employed as an interpreter-translator for the Government of the NWT, Department of Culture and Communications from 1982-1990. She provided translation and interpretation to the GNWT and the public, and worked on Dene language standardization. She has also worked for CKLB Radio in Yellowknife, the Gwich'in Language Centre in Fort McPherson, as well as a language instructor in high schools in Whitehorse.