Willie LeClair tells traditional tales of his people and talks about living in two cultures

Willie LeClair will share traditional winter tales of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 12 at the Headwaters Center in Dubois. The program is free and open to all ages.

On Saturday morning March 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., LeClair will talk about growing up in two cultures during an informal workshop session called “Astride two cultures: The Indian in the Cowboy and the Cowboy in the Indian.”   LeClair’s goal is to dispel stereotypes that “encourage people to view American Indians as figures in the historical past, or, even worse, as the characters that Hollywood has created.”

LeClair speaks from experience when he talks about living in two worlds. He has lived in two worlds since birth. He was born in Fort Washakie, the son of a Shoshone rancher and a white mother.  He attended college and was learned traditional teachings from elders of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes.  In 1980 Will

LeClair, a Riverton resident, is an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe who lectures extensively about the customs and traditions of his people.

He served in the military and has worked as an air traffic controller in Denver. He has also worked in construction in Wyoming and the Denver area, but ranching is his love. Until recently, LeClair raised Texas Longhorn cattle on his small ranch near Riverton.

The Friday lecture and Saturday morning workshop are sponsored by the Dubois Museum, Dubois Branch Library, and Central Wyoming College Dubois Outreach and funded by a grant from the Never Sweat Recreation Board.

For more information about LeClair’s programs call the Dubois Museum at 307-455-2284, the Dubois Branch Library at 307-455-2992 or the Central Wyoming College coordinator at 307-455-2625. For a complete list of events in Wyoming’s Wind River Country, go to http://www.wind-river.org or call 800-645-6233 for a free vacation packet.