Interview with
Geri Leblanc
We met Geri in Halifax through the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre (MNFC). She has a sharp sense of humor and and a great curiosity so we didn’t hesitate to ask her to discuss with us. Geri has also been very generous with us and helped connecting us with other Elders in her community.
About our guest
Geri Leblanc
Geri is a Saulteaux woman and knowledge keeper originally from Northern Saskatchewan. She is a mother, a grandmother and a great grandmother. Geri is a survivor of the residential school system. She was awarded the Queens Diamond Jubilee medal for sharing her knowledge to colleagues and supervisors.
1. What does it mean to be an Elder?
Geri tells a bit of her story and how she came to embody the role of Elder in the community that welcomed her. She reminds us that this role is also not a formal one but based on relationship of trust. When asked about aging healthy as an Elder, she shares about her experiences of healing helped by traditional practices. At the end, you can hear Geri talking about the active learning journey that aging can be.
“Elders, there is nothing to stop them from learning something. When we talk with young people, there’s a lot of stuff that we learn.”
— Geri Leblanc
2. What do you wish you would have done differently?
In this part, Geri shares about lessons of the past and about some experiences that shifted her life journey. We then ask about someone she looks up to for advice and her relationship with her sister comes up.
3. What are some beliefs and experiences associated with dying and death?
The last subject of dying brings Geri to share an alternative view to what is usually perceive as an ending and to talk about some of her life experiences around the topic of death. It is a phase of life that she has always been curious about. Finally, she reflects about legacy and the seeds she hopes to leave behind.
“I ended up talking to my parents and I spent two weeks with them and they taught me. We spent two weeks discussing all these things, all my worries… They taught me so much in two weeks that I lived how they taught me. ”
— Geri Leblanc
“Death is not even a word in our language. What those people do is… they have succeeded in doing what creator had brought them for.”
— Geri Leblanc