Daphne Odjig

Daphne Odjig (1919–2016), born on the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve, was a pivotal figure in Canadian art and a leading voice of Indigenous modernism. A Potawatomi of the Three Fires Confederacy, she fused Indigenous traditions with contemporary expression, reshaping the national narrative of art. The first First Nation woman to exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada, she was awarded the Order of Canada and many honours. Her work is held in major private and corporate collections worldwide.Internationally recognized and renowned artist Daphne Odjig (b. 1919 d. 2016) was born September 11, 1919 and raised on the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island (Lake Huron), Ontario Canada. Her father and her grandfather, Chief Jonas Odjig, were Potawatomi, descended from the great chief Black Partridge. The Odjig family was among the Potawatomi who migrated north and settled in Wikwemikong after the war of 1812. The Potawatomi (Keepers of the Fire) were members with the Ojibwa and Odawa, of the Three Fires Confederacy of the Great Lakes.

Daphne Odjig’s achievements include, but are not limited to:

The first, and as of November 2009, the only First Nation woman artist to show at the National Gallery of Canada.
Order of Canada
Order of British Columbia
Seven Honorary Degrees
National Aboriginal Achievement Award
Governor General’s Laureate, Visual and Media Arts (Canada’s highest honour in the field of visual arts)
Expression Award, National Film Board of Canada, in recognition of work that champions Canadian cultural diversity
Honorary Fellowship, Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada