Being well-connected and immersed in her culture prepared her for a career she didn’t even know existed and now she gets to share who she is with people from all over. Mina Campbell is Inuk from North West River, in central Labrador. Raised with traditional heritage, culture and lifestyle by her grandparents, Mina creates culturally artistic pieces from materials from the land and water around her. Within her community, she participates in land-based activities, hunting, fishing, gathering, as well as artistic and cultural activities and loves to share those practices with others.

In her 28th year at the Labrador Interpretation Centre, Campbell’s a curator who has held events and workshops to teach traditional seal and polar bear skin cleaning with an ulu in a Labrador tent. The Centre is open seasonally from May to October and offers programs for tourists and locals alike. The provincially owned regional museum showcases the cultures of Labrador with four permanent exhibits, events, a temporary exhibit, an amphitheater where videos play for tourists and hosts a range of events.

Before working at the centre, Campbell was a fishery guardian for seven years, a job that appealed to her as a tomboy who loved to do things outdoors, cultural and landbased activities. Through volunteering in the community and the region, she was well connected and knowledgeable about her interests. When the government decided to open the Centre and the position became available, she applied despite not having formal qualifications or a university education.

Her lived experience and immersion in Labrador culture prepared her for the role and she had some relevant college education in terms of offering programming and how to budget. She committed to learning about the exhibits and artifacts and to participate in any available training if hired. She went on to receive a certificate in Heritage Resources while working at the Center.

Before working at the Centre, Campbell participated in a one year leadership course at Happy Valley Goose Bay. Beyond programming and budgeting, she learned bookkeeping and computer skills. The traditional skills she learned from her life with her grandparents were also relevant to her work. She knwe how to clean seal skins and fish, to recognize landmarks on the land, and to cut wood and build a fire. She was also interested in berry picking, as well as learning about the trees, the land, the tides and the water.

Her advice for Indigenous students considering leaving their home community to pursue their education is, “I think that they need to go, even though it might be scary. Go anyway, that's what I would say…. I think that if you want to do something, don't think you can't, you can, even though it might be difficult, and in the end, and when you get older, you're going to be happy that you did.” With the movement on Reconciliation and people wanting to learn about Indigenous people, she urges youth to take opportunities to go outside their comfort zones to try out new places and meet new people.

When Campbell first applied for the role of curator, she understood the responsibilities outlined in the job advertisement and found it scary and overwhelming but wasn’t familiar with the job title before then. She was afraid to apply and she didn’t go away to learn until after she had the job herself. With more and more virtual learning opportunities becoming available there are more options now.

As far as obstacles go, Campbell has struggled the most with trying to get non-Indigenous people to understand Indigenous people, their communities and how they work. She keeps persevering in a positive, respectful way, teaching to the best of her ability. The other challenge she faces is the isolation of her community, which makes travel there expensive. “What I would like for people to do is to come here and, and see us, and be around us, and not only get the information, but get the feelings that go along with it,” she reflects.

When it comes to balancing her mental health and wellbeing, Campbell likes to go for a walk. She recommends going on the land, to the beach or the forest, anywhere in search of peace and quiet, even just going outside and getting fresh air. She suggests spending even fifteen minutes outside in nature, looking at trees, listening to leaves, and enjoying the sun for refreshment.

For inspiration, Campbell looks to the children who attend and to the people who share their knowledge with her. Learning from them, she is motivated to share what she knows. With growing pride in Indigenous culture and heritage, children and young adults are eager to learn more and it brings her joy to be a part of that. If she could share a message with her younger self it would be to be proud of herself and her culture.

In closing, she urges the youth of today, “be proud of who you are… respect yourself and respect the people around you, no matter if they're Indigenous or not.” Looking back, she regrets not asking her grandparents more questions so she recommends asking elders, parents and grandparents lots of questions and watching people do things to learn new skills.

She didn’t know what a curator was when she applied for the job but twenty-eight years later, Mina Campbell is thriving in her role, sharing her culture with visitors and community members. She didn’t let a lack of university education hold her back from what she knew she could do, bringing with her a willingness to learn and grow alongside her lived experience. Teaching traditional practices she learned from her grandparents to the next generation, she’s eager to help others learn about Indigenous people in the Centre where she’s worked since the beginning.

ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᐋᓕᓴᓐ ᑎᐊᑦᕗᑦ ᔅᕗᐊᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ ᑖᔅᓱᒥᖓ.