Duke Redbird

{{Short description|Canadian poet, journalist, activist, actor}} {{Infobox person | name = Duke Redbird | image =  | alt = | caption = | birth_name =  | birth_date = 1939 | birth_place = Saugeen First Nation, Ontario | death_date =  | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = poet, journalist, academic, actor | years_active = 1960s-present | known_for = | notable_works = ''I Am Canadian'', ''Loveshine and Red Wine'', ''We Are Métis'' | children = Jay Bell Redbird }} '''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.<ref>[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/literary-history-in-english-1960-1980 Literary History in English] at The Canadian Encyclopedia.</ref>

An Ojibwe from the Saugeen First Nation in Southwestern Ontario,<ref name=broadview>Jeannette Armstrong and Lally Grauer, ''Native Poetry in Canada: A Contemporary Anthology''. Broadview Press, 2001. {{ISBN|978-1551112008}}. p. 41.</ref> he became a ward of the Children's Aid Society at nine months of age after his mother died in a house fire.<ref name=unbending>"An unbending spirit: The creative journey is far from over for the artist, poet, and former politico, Duke Redbird". ''National Post'', April 10, 1999.</ref> Raised predominantly by white foster families, he began writing as a way to deal with the anti-indigenous racism he faced in schools.<ref name=unbending />

==Early career== During the mid-1960s, he started his career as a spoken word artist on folk festival, coffeehouse and theatre tours across Canada,<ref name=broadview /> he then became editor of a native newspaper named ''The Thunderbird'',<ref name=dirtpoor>"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.</ref> and was a determined organizer of protests and spoke on native rights issues.<ref name=shaman>"Shaman of the global village". ''The Globe and Mail'', September 12, 1981.</ref>

In this era, he was also the neighbour of Joni Mitchell during her early career on Toronto's Yorkville coffeehouse scene,<ref name=dirtpoor/> 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.<ref name=shaman/>

Redbird's spoken word performances were caught on film in the NFB documentary ''The Other Side of the Ledger''.

==Writing== His collections of published poetry include ''I Am Canadian'' (1978) and ''Loveshine and Red Wine'' (1981).<ref name=broadview /> 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.<ref name=gala>"Pre-opening gala planned for Museum of Civilization". ''The Globe and Mail'', June 22, 1989.</ref> 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,<ref name=broadview /> and Redbird represented Canada at the Valmiki World Poetry Festival in Delhi, India in 1985.<ref name=broadview />

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.<ref name=unbending/> 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."<ref name=unbending/>

"Silver River", a song Redbird recorded in 1975 in collaboration with musician Shingoose, appears on the 2014 compilation album ''Native North America, Vol. 1''.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/dec/04/forgotten-native-american-musicians-we-could-have-been-the-next-nirvana "Forgotten Native American musicians: 'We could have been the next Nirvana'"]. ''The Guardian'', December 4, 2014.</ref> The song originally appeared on Shingoose's four-song EP ''Native Country''.<ref>"Native Country: Record launches Indian artistic project". ''Ottawa Journal'', January 23, 1976.</ref>

With Bonnie Devine and Robert Houle, 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 vice-president of the Native Council of Canada.<ref name=broadview /> After earning a master's degree in political science from York University, his academic thesis ''We Are Metis'' was published in 1980.<ref name=canenc>[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ethnic-literature Ethnic Literature] at The Canadian Encyclopedia.</ref> He subsequently served as president of the Ontario Métis and Non-Status Indian Association.<ref name=broadview />

==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,<ref>"Writer urges CBC to let natives tell their own stories". ''Toronto Star'', November 20, 1993.</ref> was an associate producer on the feature film ''Dance Me Outside'',<ref name=broadview /> and produced a multimedia documentary on indigenous art for the National Film Board.<ref name=unbending/> He has also worked in television as a news producer and First Nations issues reporter for Citytv.<ref name=jonisecret />

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,<ref name=jonisecret /> and played a pivotal role in reuniting Mitchell with Kilauren Gibb, the daughter she had given up for adoption in the 1960s.<ref name=jonisecret>[http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/joni-mitchells-secret/ "Joni Mitchell's Secret"]. ''Maclean's'', April 21, 1997.</ref> He also launched Native Blend Coffee, a line of fair trade coffee, in 1999.<ref name=unbending /> In 2000, he opened a restaurant, Eureka Continuum, to specialize in indigenous cuisine.<ref name=restaurant>"Restaurant celebrates home and native food". ''Toronto Star'', June 28, 2000.</ref>

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?"<ref name=restaurant/>

==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.<ref name = "OCAD">{{cite web |title=OCAD UNIVERSITY TO CONFER HONORARY DEGREES ON DOUGLAS COUPLAND AND DUKE REDBIRD |url=https://www2.ocadu.ca/news/ocad-university-to-confer-honorary-degrees-on-douglas-coupland-and-duke-redbird |website=ocadu.ca |accessdate=February 1, 2019 |date=May 30, 2013}}</ref>

In 2019, he collaborated with Myseum of Toronto on an indigenous history project at Ontario Place.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/06/30/why-the-otter-is-better-than-the-beaver-and-other-canada-day-lessons-with-indigenous-elder-duke-redbird.html "Why the otter is better than the beaver and other Canada Day lessons with Indigenous elder Duke Redbird"]. ''Toronto Star'', June 30, 2019.</ref>

==References== {{reflist|2}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0714639}}

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