Yellowknife (Mar 28/05) - The new Caribou Carnival Queen is a true Northerner, having lived her whole life North of 60.

Yellowknife's Caribou Carnival crowns a queen each year, in recognition of the person who sells the most raffle tickets to raise money for the carnival.

Lila Fraser Erasmus gets the antler crown from First Air's Mike Olson and the ceremonial cape from Caribou Carnival co-ordinator Carol Van Tighem. - Jennifer Geens/NNSL photo

This year's queen, figurehead for the 50th anniversary celebration, is Lila Fraser Erasmus.

Erasmus was born in Whitehorse, but when she was six months old her family moved back to Fort Smith, where her father's family lived. Then she was transplanted to Norman Wells for most of her school years. And when Erasmus was in high school she moved to Yellowknife.

Now she's an assistant negotiator with the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs in the territorial government.

But despite being busy with her job and her two year-old daughter, not to mention volunteering at the Native Women's Association and Tree of Peace Friendship Centre, Erasmus decided to run for Caribou Carnival Queen. She had thought about doing it for years, but took the plunge as her 40th birthday approached.

When she revealed her age to a reporter backstage at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre, the stage manager for the show expressed astonishment. She had thought Erasmus was in her late twenties.

"I was thinking I'm going to be turning 40 so I've got to do all these things," Erasmus said. "I've got to run a marathon this year. I've got to run for Carnival queen."

Erasmus, with help from friends and family, sold 12,580 raffle tickets, nearly four times as many as her nearest competitor.

Besides feeling like a million bucks, Erasmus confessed to being exhausted after the two-week ticket selling blitz.

"I don't know if I would do it again, but it was a great experience," she said.

Erasmus wasn't the only Quest for the Crown candidate who grew up outside of Yellowknife.

Twyla Brule Vachon is a former resident of Fort Providence and Itoah Lydia Scott, the runner-up for Caribou Princess, is a past resident of Fort Simpson and Edzo.