Translated from French
by Sophie M. Lavoie

Melissa Mollen Dupuis is of Innu origin and grew up in Ekuanitshit (Mingan) in what is now the province of Quebec. In 2012, Mollen Dupuis was co-initiator and co-spokesperson for the Quebec section of the Idle No More movement. Between 2012 and 2016, she also directed five short films on Aboriginal issues and was chair of Wapikoni’s board of directors from 2013 to 2024. Wapikoni is an organisation that contributes to the personal, creative and professional development of First Nations peoples and the affirmation of their communities. In 2023, she and renowned Québec illustrator Élise Gravel published Nutshimit: Un bain de forêt, a book that invites readers to explore an Innu concept that refers to the natural territory where traditional Aboriginal activities are practised. Since 2021, Mollen Dupuis has hosted a weekly programme on Aboriginal artists on Radio Canada.