Elizabeth Goudie (née Blake; April 20, 1902, Mud Lake, Colony of Newfoundland – June 10, 1982 Happy Valley, Labrador) was an Inuit Canadian writer. Her sole work, ''Woman of Labrador'' () was published in 1973.

Life

Elizabeth Blake was born April 20, 1902, at Mud Lake, Labrador, Colony of Newfoundland the daughter of Sarah Michelin and Joseph Blake. Goudie's great aunt, Lydia Campbell, wrote the book ''Sketches of Labrador Life''. () At the age of 18, she married Jim Goudie, a trapper, with whom she had nine children, one of whom,

Joe Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

, served as member of the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible governme ...

for Naskaupi (1975–85) and held several portfolios in the administrations of

Frank Moores Frank Duff Moores (February 18, 1933 – July 10, 2005) served as the second premier of Newfoundland. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservatives from 1972 until his retirement in 1979. Moores was also a successful businessman in bo ...

and

Brian Peckford Alfred Brian Peckford (born August 27, 1942) is a Canadian politician who served as the third premier of Newfoundland from March 26, 1979 to March 22, 1989. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, Peckford was first elected as the ...

. In 1963, her husband died and Elizabeth began to reminisce about her life and decided to write it out, finishing in June 1971. David Zimmerly, an anthropological researcher from

Memorial University Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...

, stationed in Happy Valley, heard of Goudie's memoirs and went to talk to her. He volunteered to help her edit the memoirs for publication and spent much time during the next two years working with her. The book was published by

Peter Martin Associates Peter Martin Associates was a book publisher in Canada, founded by Peter and Carol Martin in 1965, which operated until the early 1980s. It published significant works in the field of Canadian politics, art, and culture, and specialized in children' ...

of Ottawa in July 1973. The original manuscript is archived in the Newfoundland and Labrador Room of the library of Memorial University.

Honours

In 1975, in recognition of her life and work, she was awarded an honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

degree from Memorial University. In 1980, the provincial government building in Happy Valley-Goose Bay was named after her. A song ''Woman Of Labrador'' was written by

Andy Vine Andy Vine is a Welsh-born Canadian folk musician from Vancouver. Music Andy's musical style is described as "maritime folk, old-time rock and Celtic". He released his first album "Making Waves" in 2005. One song from this album ("Woman of Labr ...

in 2005. A play, "Woman of Labrador; The Elizabeth Goudie Story", starring

Sherry Smith Sherrod Malone (Sherry) Smith (February 18, 1891 – September 12, 1949) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1911 until 1927, he pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1911–12), Brooklyn Robins (1915–17, 1919–1922) and Clevela ...

, was made from her book.Sherry Smith (I) IMDb bio
"Her one-woman show, Woman of Labrador; The Elizabeth Goudie Story, has been performed throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia as well as Toronto."

References

Sources

* Blake, Dale, ''Women of Labrador: realigning North from the site(s) of metissage.'', Essays on Canadian Writing, (September 22, 1996).

External links

Biography of Elizabeth Goudie on inuit.uqam.ca

entry in the

Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available for ...

.
Churchill River - The Lonely Season: Traditional bush life in Labrador
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goudie, Elizabeth 1902 births 1982 deaths Canadian memoirists Writers from Newfoundland and Labrador People from Happy Valley-Goose Bay Canadian women memoirists 20th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 20th-century memoirists