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code-switches between Cree and
English, as well as between Cree-English and standardized English. Halfe personalizes the Cree language in her work by using possessive kinship terms. Halfe is also known to use the language of the church, or "Whiteman's words," in her work. Halfe has said that writing helps her reconnect to her culture and language.
180:; she remained there for nine years. At the age of sixteen, she left home and broke ties with her family. This gave her the opportunity to complete her studies at St. Paul's Regional High School. While Halfe attended high school, she developed an interest in writing. She started a journal to write about her memories and life experiences.
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in her work. Code-switching is largely a response to the devastation of
Aboriginal languages. Their loss is connected to the legacy of residential schools. The use of code-switching shows a fragmentation of history, culture, and land base which cannot be conveyed through English alone. Halfe
281:
to invoke the image of using a bone writing in blue ink. The title re-appropriates the "blue quill" of Blue Quills
Residential School. Much of Halfe's poetry reflects on her time at the school and the effect it had on her, her family, and her community.
256:
Halfe writes poetry about the women that have come before her. Her writing focuses on the kinship relations between women, the stories women have to tell, and their histories. Halfe's poetry reasserts the importance of women in Cree culture.
153:(2016). Halfe uses code-switching, white space, and the stories of other Cree women in her poetry. Her experience at Blue Quills continues to influence her work today. Halfe's books have been well-received and have won multiple awards.
214:(1993) which was a collection of writing by residential school survivors. Her first book, Bear Bones & Feathers, was started in a journal during her academic career; it was published in 1994. She has published three more books:
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In 2016, Halfe received the
Hnatyshyn Foundation REVEAL award which recognizes Indigenous artists living in Canada and, in 2017, she was given the Latner Writers' Trust Award in recognition of a remarkable body of work.
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received numerous awards, such as the
Saskatchewan Book Awards and the Indigenous Peoples' Publishing Award. The judges from these events have stated that Halfe's poetic storytelling reflects the harm inflicted by
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317: Critics have also noted Halfe's focus on both mind and spirituality. Cheryl Petten for the Saskatchewan Review had noted that readers not only responded intellectually Halfe's
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In 2005, Halfe became
Saskatchewan's Poet Laureate. She is the second person ever to hold the title. Then, in 2012, Halfe received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from
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won the
Indigenous Peoples' Publishing award, the Rasmussen, Ramussen & Charowsky Indigenous Peoples' Writing award and the Saskatchewan Arts Board Poetry Award.
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and, therefore, signifies erasure, a loss of language, and an inability to speak. Every word she writes on the page is a political act against silence and erasure.
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Halfe works with Cree intellectual traditions in her poetry. She tells women's stories to explore the link between creation and knowledge in Cree storytelling. In
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PEI Milton Acorn Award for Bear Bones and
Feathers, 1996, Saskatoon Book Award and the First Peoples Publishing Award, Saskatchewan's Poet Laureate
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Halfe incorporates the white space on the page into the meaning of her poems. The white space represents the settler-colonial idea of
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Halfe's work has been generally well accepted. Cahoots
Magazine has praised her use of Aboriginal spirality and feminist exposure in
746:
614:
Stigter, Shelley (2006-03-13). "The
Dialectics and Dialogics of Code-Switching in the Poetry of Gregory Scofield and Louise Halfe".
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won the First Peoples Publishing Award and the Saskatoon Book Award in 2008. It was also nominated for the Poetry Award honouring
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also won the League of Canadian Poets Raymond Souster Award and the High Plains Book Award for Indigenous Writers.
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129:. Halfe's Cree name is Sky Dancer. At the age of seven, she was forced to attend Blue Quills Residential School in
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444:"{Turtle Island Native Network} • View topic - Louise Halfe - Sky Dancer named Saskatchewan's Poet Laureate"
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226:(2016). In 2018, as part of the Laurier Poetry Series, her previously published works were compiled in
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Louise Halfe was born on April 8, 1953. She is also known by her Cree name Sky Dancer. She was born in
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in the same year. Halfe was also shortlisted for the Spirit of Saskatchewan Award. In 2017,
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Bear Bones and Feathers, Blue Marrow, The Crooked Good & Burning in This Midnight Dream
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Louise Halfe has won many awards and has received positive recognition as an independent
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Halfe often writes about a connection to the land that is both spiritual and political.
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Other works by Halfe have received similar reviews, often applauding Halfe's use of
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471:""Riding English": Tradition and Innovation in Louise Bernice Halfe's Blue Marrow"
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771:"Reading the prairies relationally: Louise Bernice Halfe and "spacious creation""
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and a certificate in Drug and Alcohol Counselling from the Nechi Institute.
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537:"Louise Bernice Halfe chosen as Canada’s new parliamentary poet laureate"
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author and poet. After making her debut, Halfe won third place in the
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for taking back the Cree language. This is prominent in Halfe's
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526:. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
709:"Aboriginal Students - Students - University of Saskatchewan"
1000:"Burning in this Midnight Dream - Saskatchewan Book Awards"
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was also the 2017 WILLA Literacy Award Finalist in Poetry.
1088:"Laureates - Indigenous Awards | The Hnatyshyn Foundation"
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Sôhkêyihta: The Poetry of Sky Dancer Louise Bernice Halfe.
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Sôhkêyihta: The Poetry of Sky Dancer Louise Bernice Halfe.
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Sôhkêyihta: The Poetry of Sky Dancer Louise Bernice Halfe
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Sôhkêyihta: The Poetry of Sky Dancer Louise Bernice Halfe
903:"Coteau Books - Saskatchewan Sage Review - Crooked Good"
735:
Macfarlane, Heather; Ruffo, Armand Garnet (2015-12-18).
738:
Introduction to Indigenous Literary Criticism in Canada
1064:"Women Writing the West - Willa Finalists and Rubrics"
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In 1990, Halfe was first published in the collection
344:, won the Milton Acorn People's Poet Award in 1996.
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208:Writing the Circle: Native Women of Western Canada
194:Halfe earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the
137:in 1994 and has published four books of poetry:
16:"Halfe" redirects here. Not to be confused with
1024:"2017 AWARD WINNERS – League of Canadian Poets"
813:"Coteau Books - Burning in this Midnight Dream"
685:"Honorary Degrees | Wilfrid Laurier University"
584:"Member Profile | The Writers' Union of Canada"
976:"Archived Nominees - Saskatchewan Book Awards"
927:"Lampert, Lowther poetry award nominees named"
70:Author, Poet, Social Worker & Acting Elder
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661:"Louise Halfe | The Writers' Trust of Canada"
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1044:"Previous Winners – High Plains Book Awards"
557:"The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan | Details"
665:Louise Halfe | The Writers' Trust of Canada
555:Saskatchewan, Cory Toth - Encyclopedia Of.
236:. She is currently the acting Elder at the
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877:. Vol. 39, no. 4. p. 36.
156:In 2021, Halfe was appointed as the new
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210:. Her next publication was a piece in
125:is a Cree poet and social worker from
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871:"Halfe, Louise Bernice. Blue Marrow"
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358:Governor General's Award for Poetry
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1552:20th-century First Nations writers
951:Governor General's Literary Awards
301:Canada's residential school system
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113:2 Children & 3 Grandchildren
1542:People from Two Hills, Alberta
412:Burning in this Midnight Dream
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151:Burning in this Midnight Dream
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616:The American Indian Quarterly
337:' Historical Poetry Contest.
869:Beschta, James (July 2005).
844:. Vol. 17. p. 44.
836:McAdams, Janet (July 2000).
350:Pat Lowther First Book Award
187:, Halfe lived off campus in
183:During her six years at The
1512:20th-century Canadian poets
1502:21st-century Canadian poets
1068:www.womenwritingthewest.org
842:The Women's Review of Books
119:Cree poet and social worker
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340:Her first book of poetry,
292:Bear Bones & Feathers.
238:University of Saskatchewan
234:Wilfrid Laurier University
185:University of Saskatchewan
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798:Bear Bones & Feathers
769:Neuhaus, Mareike (2012).
394:Bear Bones & Feathers
342:Bear Bones & Feathers
321:but emotionally as well.
139:Bear Bones & Feathers
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838:"Histories of the world"
335:League of Canadian Poets
172:, and was raised on the
356:was a finalist for the
522:Halfe, Louise (2018).
348:was nominated for the
277:Halfe titled her book
39:Halfe in November 2022
1268:Raymond Souster Award
1199:George Elliott Clarke
628:10.1353/aiq.2006.0008
189:Northern Saskatchewan
123:Louise Bernice Halfe,
1547:Writers from Alberta
1522:Canadian women poets
1434:Louise Bernice Halfe
1312:Louise Bernice Halfe
1215:Louise Bernice Halfe
1004:www.bookawards.sk.ca
980:www.bookawards.sk.ca
448:www.turtleisland.org
196:University of Regina
133:. Halfe signed with
27:Louise Bernice Halfe
1452:Armand Garnet Ruffo
1175:Pierre DesRuisseaux
775:Canadian Literature
741:. Broadview Press.
588:www.writersunion.ca
545:, February 3, 2021.
174:Saddle Lake Reserve
1532:Cree women writers
1403:Recipients of the
1360:Adebe DeRango-Adem
1266:Recipients of the
1223:Marie-Célie Agnant
286:Critical reception
170:Two Hills, Alberta
61:Two Hills, Alberta
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477:. 7 August 2014
475:Novel Alliances
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1159:Pauline Michel
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86:Notable works
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57:(age 71)
55:April 8, 1953
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1537:Cree writers
1440:Jordan Scott
1433:
1416:Ken Babstock
1344:Ian Williams
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