Background
The son of Jean-Paul Noël, he was born in Messines and grew up in the Louisiana Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve and in the Maniwaki and Abitibi regions of Quebec.
The son of Jean-Paul Noël, he was born in Messines and grew up in the Louisiana Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve and in the Maniwaki and Abitibi regions of Quebec.
He received a Bachelor of Education from the École normale de Hull, then a Bachelor and Master of Arts from Laval University. In 1983, he completed a Doctor of Philosophy. His thesis was on First Nations gastronomy in the 16th and 17th centuries.
From 1977 to 1980, Noël was director of the Service de l"artisanat et des métiers d"art for the Quebec Ministry of Culture. He continued to serve in various positions in the same department and most recently has been a coordinator for First Nations affairs In terms of creative output, he has written novels, poetry, reference works, stories and plays for young audiences and articles which have appeared in various specialty magazines.
During the 1980s, Noël wrote an acclaimed series of books based on First Nations stories, Les Papinachois.
He has also been a narrator for several films. Noël has led workshops in schools, colleges and universities, and taken part in various conferences on First Nations issues.
He was named a Chevalier in the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2003 for promoting French language and culture. In 1998, he was named a Global Citizen by the United Nations Association in Canada.
In 2008, he was awarded the Prix Saint-Exupéry in the Francophonie category.