Natasha Kanapé Fontaine (born 1991) is an

Innu The Innu/Ilnu ('man, person'), formerly called Montagnais (French for ' mountain people'; ), are the Indigenous Canadians who inhabit northeastern Labrador in present-day Newfoundland and Labrador and some portions of Quebec. They refer to ...

poet and actress. Born in Pessamit, Quebec, Fontaine first became noticed in 2012 as part of the Montreal poetry scene. Her first poetry collection, ''Do Not Enter My Soul in Your Shoes'', earned her the 2013 Prize of the Society of Francophone Writers of America; her second, ''Manifeste Assi'', was released in 2014 and debuted at the Étonnants Voyageurs festival. In 2016 she was a guest of honour at the

Rimouski Rimouski ( ; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. Rimouski is located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, at the mouth of the Rimouski River. It has a population of 48,935 (as of 2021). Rimouski, whose motto is ''Legi patrum fidelis'' (Faithful to ...

Book Fair, alongside

Deni Ellis Béchard Deni Ellis Béchard, also known as Deni Yvan Béchard, is a Canadian-American novelist. His novel, ''Vandal Love'' (2006), won the 2007 Commonwealth Writers Prize, Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book. It was a finalist for the 2009 Co ...

; the same year, the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

announced funding for 3 projects as part of the 150th Anniversary of the founding of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, including ''#Legacies150'', a photo-essay series Fontaine is contributing to. From 2017 to 2019, Kanapé Fontaine played the role of "Eyota Standing Bear", a First Nations incarcerated criminal on the French-Canadian television drama '' Unité 9''. In 2021 she released the album ''Nui Pimuten I'', which set some of her poetry to music. She received two Félix Award nominations at the 44th Félix Awards, for Revelation of the Year and Indigenous Artist of the Year.Myriam Bercier
"Les résultats du gala de l’ADISQ 2022"
''Le Canal Auditif'', November 6, 2022.

References

Innu women writers Innu writers 1991 births Living people People from Côte-Nord Poets from Quebec 21st-century Canadian poets Canadian women poets 21st-century Canadian women writers First Nations poets Actresses from Quebec 21st-century Canadian actresses First Nations actresses 21st-century First Nations writers 21st-century First Nations women 21st-century First Nations people Innu women musicians {{NorthAm-native-bio-stub