Leroy Heavy Runner

Leroy Heavy Runner -Aapohkaayo - White Bear or Brown Bear
Leroy's Blackfoot name is Aapohkaayo - White Bear or Brown Bear. It was his paternal great grandfather's name. His father Bill Heavy Runner gave him that name when he joined the Hom Society 22 years ago.
Leroy's parents are Bill Heavy Runner and Eva MacDonald Heavy Runner. His paternal
grandparents are Billy Heavy Runner and Mariam Heavy Runner and his maternal grandparents are Paul MacDonald and Kate Trollinger MacDonald.
Leroy belongs to the following societies; Iitskinaiksi joined in 1996 and is a member of the Magpie Society. The elders who taught him were: Winston Day Chief, Allen Prairie Chicken, Adam Delaney, and Pete Standing Alone.
His previous work experience includes being a grader operator, welder, and Public Works Director. He also operated his own cattle and horse ranching business. He is currently on the Blood Tribe Land Dispute Committee, Resident Elder at Kainai High School and is presently on the RCCC Kaassinnooksi Advisory Council. During his spare time he loves to rodeo.
His areas of expertise include: storytelling-stories handed down to him by his father Bill Heavy Runner, child rearing-worked with University of Lethbridge and Bow Valley College on traditional child rearing practices, pre-reservation history, post-reservation history, Niitsitapi philosophies, symbolism in Niitsitapi artistic traditions, Niitsi'powahsin linguistic analysis, family and kinship systems, gender relations, traditional songs, social and spiritual protocol and Niitsitapi economic systems.

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