Duke Redbird

Dr.Duke Redbird (born 1939) is an Indigenous Canadian poet, journalist, activist, businessman, actor and administrator, best known as a key figure in the development of First Nations literature in Canada.

An Ojibwe from the Saugeen First Nation in Southwestern Ontario,Jeannette Armstrong and Lally Grauer, ''Native Poetry in Canada: A Contemporary Anthology''. Broadview Press, 2001. . p. 41. he became a ward of the Children's Aid Society at nine months of age after his mother died in a house fire."An unbending spirit: The creative journey is far from over for the artist, poet, and former politico, Duke Redbird". ''National Post'', April 10, 1999. Raised predominantly by white foster families, he began writing as a way to deal with the anti-indigenous racism he faced in schools.

Early career

During the mid-1960s, he started his career as a spoken word artist on folk festival, coffeehouse and theatre tours across Canada, he then became editor of a native newspaper named ''The Thunderbird'',"Joni: `Dirt poor,' 20 and pregnant Excerpts from a new book reveal details of Joni Mitchell's life in '60s Toronto". ''Toronto Star'', April 7, 1997. and was a determined organizer of protests and spoke on native rights issues."Shaman of the global village". '' The Globe and Mail'', September 12, 1981.

In this era, he was also the neighbour of Joni Mitchell during her early career on Toronto's Yorkville coffeehouse scene, and had his first acting role in an episode of ''Adventures in Rainbow Country''.

Marty Dunn published a biography of Redbird, ''Red on White'', in 1971.

Writing

His collections of published poetry includes ''I Am Canadian'' (1978) and ''Loveshine and Red Wine'' (1981). He has also done other commissioned work for various public events in Canada, including the official opening of the Canadian Museum of Civilization and Expo 67."Pre-opening gala planned for Museum of Civilization". '' The Globe and Mail'', June 22, 1989. A project of musical theatre primarily based on his poetry was performed for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh during the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 1977, and Redbird represented Canada at the Valmiki World Poetry Festival in Delhi, India in 1985.

He collaborated with musician Winston Wuttunee in the 1970s, including a joint appearance at the Mariposa Folk Festival and the album ''See the Arrow''.

From his spoken word work, two CD's ''Duke Redbird the Poet'' (1994) and ''In Other Words'' (1999) have been released. In 1999, indigenous rapper TKO persuaded Redbird to work together on his next album, asserting that "Duke Redbird is the old master of the spoken word and I'm the new master."

"Silver River", a song Redbird recorded in 1975 in collaboration with musician Shingoose, appears on the 2014 compilation album ''Native North America, Vol. 1, he also cowrote ''The Drawings and Paintings of Daphne Odjig: A Retrospective Exhibition'', the guidebook to the National Gallery of Art's 2009 retrospective exhibition of artist Daphne Odjig.

Activism

During the 1970s, Redbird was the then vice-president of the Native Council of Canada. After earning a master's degree in political science from York University, his academic thesis ''We Are Metis'' was then published in 1980.Ethnic Literature
at The Canadian Encyclopedia. He subsequently served as president of the Ontario Métis and Non-Status Indian Association.

Media work

He began working in television and film during the 1990s. He wrote the teleplay '' Four Directions: A Canoe for the Making'' for CBC Television, was an associate producer on the feature film ''Dance Me Outside'', and produced a multimedia documentary on indigenous art for the National Film Board. He has also worked in television as a news producer and First Nations issues reporter for Citytv.

He took on multiple acting roles in this era, appearing in episodes of ''Wonderfalls'' and '' Relic Hunter'', and in the films ''Elimination Dance'', ''The Shaman's Source'' and ''Casino Jack''.

Business

In the 1990s he was co-owner of a downtown Toronto pub, the Coloured Stone, and played a pivotal role in reuniting Mitchell with Kilauren Gibb, the daughter she had given up for adoption in the 1960s."Joni Mitchell's Secret"
''Maclean's'', April 21, 1997. He also launched Native Blend Coffee, a line of fair trade coffee, in 1999. In 2000, he opened a restaurant, Eureka Continuum, to specialize in indigenous cuisine."Restaurant celebrates home and native food". ''Toronto Star'', June 28, 2000.

In this era, he described to the ''Toronto Star'' the ways in which his philosophy of activism had shifted: "I'm still a kind of activist, but it's on a different level. Now, I'm an elder, a wisdom-keeper, a sharer. I try to help people from community - aboriginal, indigenous people who may be Metis, First Nations or Inuit - who are assembling strategies to accomplish their goals. Wisdom is choosing the right goal. It's my job to ask: Is it wise?"

Academic work

After leaving Citytv in 2009, Redbird joined OCAD University as a mentor and advisor in the institution's indigenous visual culture program until 2012. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the institution in 2013.

In 2019, he collaborated with Myseum of Toronto on an indigenous history project at Ontario Place."Why the otter is better than the beaver and other Canada Day lessons with Indigenous elder Duke Redbird"
''Toronto Star'', June 30, 2019.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Redbird, Duke
1939 births
20th-century Canadian poets
Canadian male poets
Canadian television reporters and correspondents
Canadian spoken word poets
Canadian television producers
Canadian restaurateurs
Film producers from Ontario
Academic staff of OCAD University
First Nations poets
First Nations musicians
First Nations journalists
Ojibwe people
Living people
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male television actors
First Nations male actors
First Nations screenwriters
20th-century Canadian male writers
20th-century First Nations writers
21st-century First Nations people
Canadian male non-fiction writers
Saugeen First Nation
First Nations academics
Non-Status Indians