Duke Redbird
Duke Redbird | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1939 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation(s) | poet, journalist, academic, actor |
| Years active | 1960s-present |
| Notable work | 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.
An Ojibwe from the Saugeen First Nation in Southwestern Ontario, he became a ward of the Children's Aid Society at nine months of age after his mother died in a house fire. Raised predominantly by white foster families, he began writing as a way to deal with the anti-indigenous racism he faced in schools.