Once teaching from books and now writing them, Leona Prince is a member of Lake Babine Nation who lives in Burns Lake. She has three kids. Her eldest is a carver who lives in Terrace, her middle child is an Indigenous education worker who lives in Prince George and her youngest is in grade 12. As far as her own work, she is a trained teacher who is now the Director of Instruction for Indigenous Education for School District 91 Nechako Lakes. 

Born in Prince George and raised on her home reserve, her family moved to Edmonton when she was nine. At 13, her parents split up and she moved to Burns Lake. Her mother married someone from Lake Babine Nation and her membership was transferred there. Her step father ended up becoming the chief. She graduated from high school in the community and went to the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George and got a bachelor’s degree that was a double major, a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in First Nations Studies. She worked in the summers in the fisheries department for her nation. 

With her husband working in Forestry and her working in fisheries, they couldn’t both be away given they had kids. She took the Post Degree Program in Education to train as a teacher, something which came naturally as growing up she made her siblings play school with her.  She trained as a high school science, math and First Nation studies teacher. She realized right away high school wasn’t the right fit and transitioned into teaching elementary. She taught at the Aboriginal choice school in Prince George, then moved into administration as a vice principal. Later, she moved her family to Burns Lake to take on the role of district vice principal of Indigenous education, then district principal and now director. Recently, she did a one year assignment as the assistant superintendent of Indigenous education for the province of BC, but she’s returned to her own job since.

One of the obstacles she’s faced is complex trauma. Another challenge she faced as a young person was dating someone who was too old for her. The message she wants to share from her experiences is, “We are both as Indigenous people, resilient and brilliant, and I want them to tap into both, because we can overcome anything, draw upon the strength of our ancestors that came before us who survived, so we could be here today.” 

To maintain her mental health, Prince stays connected to the land by hunting with her husband. She also enjoys sewing and beadwork, as well as writing in the winter. She suggests learning teachings from social media if you aren’t connected to your local community. “Learn from the local people, start doing their processes, and what it will do is inspire you to reach into your own practices,” she recommends. 

If Prince could share a message with her younger self it would be that she’s going to be okay, that she is not the situations she’s found herself in. “I just want to tell her that she is everything that our ancestors hope should be, and just to stay the course, be strong, and that no matter what situation you find yourself, because some situations were imposed upon me and when I was a rebellious teenager, some I did to myself. People grow and they change, and you can always reinvent yourself. You have every opportunity to reinvent yourself, every day is a new day to change and start anew and start fresh,”she shares.

The other role Prince has is as an author. Her last book with her sister was Be a Good Ancestor and her first is Dance Through the Season. Her most recent is called Remember Who You Are and it will be in English, Cree and French. She shares an excerpt from it:

You come from a long line of matriarchs. Your culture is built on the strength of women. Remember who you are. You are more powerful than you imagine. Your traditions and knowledge reflect this belief. Remember who you are. You were created with everything you need to succeed. It was written in the Stars. Remember who you are. You have the blood of many resilient ancestors flowing through your veins. Feel the power of all those who came before you. Remember who you are. You belong to a culture built on respect, respect others, but more important, respect yourself. Remember who you are, you. You were born to be exactly who you are, your people recognize and encourage your unique gifts. Remember who you are. You are the result of generations of love. Love inspires kindness, selflessness and sacrifice. Remember who you are. You come from a people who honour the truth, live and speak that truth for the benefit of everyone. Remember who you are. You are destined to be a warrior and a protector. You will ensure the safety of your people. Remember who you are, you are a pillar of the community. You are capable of contributing to everyone's success. Remember who you are. You are intelligent beyond belief. Your instincts and awareness provide nourishment. Remember who you are. You have the strength to become an influential leader. Your lineage is filled with people who have inspired greatness. Remember who you are. Our societies are complex, diverse and beautiful. Our people were created to hold strong in our beliefs and convictions. We are nations that hold others accountable and move everyone forward. We live both firmly rooted in our past and are inspired by our future. We are the children of chiefs. Remember who we are.

In closing, she shares, “We're in a time when often people talk about the negative things that have happened throughout our history. I think we need to find balance, and our children need to find balance in showing the world that we are more than just our struggle. We are more than just our resilience, that there is a tremendous amount of knowledge and brilliance within our communities.”

Once she taught from books, now Leona Prince writes them and directs instruction for Indigenous Education for a large school district. Overcoming complex trauma and difficult experiences, she’s raised three children and guided the education of countless more. With a positive message to share and strength and resilience to draw on, she’s looking toward the future and improving it through quality education.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.