Minnie Clark shared her story with us as a feature in our Winter 2023 issue of Trailblazher Magazine. Below you will find some more incredible content she shared with us when we first interviewed her.

Minnie Clark, a Tlingit woman from southern Yukon, grew up on a family trapline near Teslin. Her parents’ artistic talents and deep love for the land inspired her. After 32 years with the Yukon Government, she’s now retired and enjoys and teaches traditional crafts and photography. Clark’s craft work may be found online or through various outlets in nearby Whitehorse, Yukon.

What has been the most challenging aspect of your business?

Acquiring supplies can be a challenge. You have to have access to the internet in order to research and find venues which will ship to your home community. The postal service is a major piece of this operation. I get my supplies mailed in, and I mail the finished products out across the country through this postal service. Having access to all these electronic devices we’ve become accustomed to living with, and having reliable service in remote areas, all help to contribute to small cottage craft industries such as mine. Without these two services, my business would be near impossible.

What famous person would you most like to have dinner with and why?

Morgan Freeman would make a great dinner date as I’ve always loved his acting, and he has such an inspirational outlook on life. His movie, “The Bucketlist” has to be one of my favourite movies and I’ve seen it a number of times. It never gets old.

What advice would you give your younger self? 

Pay attention, ask questions and listen would be three pieces of advice I would give my younger self. I would definitely have paid more attention to my mother’s teachings, and started sewing traditional crafts earlier with her guidance.

Who has inspired you most in your life? 

My parents both have inspired me in life. They were very artistic people. My father emigrated from England after serving with the Royal Air Force during the war. He was a fishing guide who painted with oils and acrylics, and my mother practiced the Tlingit traditional methods of hide preparation, and tanned moose & caribou hides. My mother was a very talented Tlingit artist who beaded, and crafted lovely moccasins and mittens; utilizing many of the hides she had caught on the trapline, and then home tanned. My appreciation for nature, vivd colours and my eye for composition can be mainly attributed to my parents’ love of the land and the lifestyle in which we were raised as children. That had a lot to do with my present self. We were taught to work hard, show up on time and be respectful and mindful of the needs of others.

Photography by Cathie Archbould

MORE 5 MINUTES WITH OUR FEATURES:

• 5 Minutes with Ashley Turner
• 5 Minutes with Annette Thurmon
• 5 Minutes with Christine McDonald