Daphne Odjig

Daphne Odjig, (September 11, 1919 – October 1, 2016), was a Canadian First Nations artist of Odawa-Potawatomi-English heritage. Her paintings are often characterized as Woodlands Style or as the pictographic style.

She was the driving force behind the Professional Native Indian Artists Association, colloquially known as the Indian Group of Seven, a group considered a pioneer in bringing First Nations art to the forefront of Canada's art world. She received a number of awards for her work, including the Order of Canada, the Governor General's Award and five honorary doctorates. at Wiikwemkoong, the principal village on the Manitoulin Island Unceded Indian Reserve, to parents Dominic and Joyce (née Peachey) Odjig. She was the eldest of four children; her siblings are Stanley, Winnifred and Donavan. She was descended on her father's side from the great Potawatomi Chief Black Partridge. Her mother, an Englishwoman, met and married Dominic in England where he was serving during World War I as a Private (#754710) in the 119th (Algoma) Battalion, CEF.

When Odjig was 13 years old, she suffered rheumatic fever and had to leave school. Recuperating at home, she spent time with her paternal grandfather, Jonas Odjig (a stonecarver), and her parents - all of whom encouraged her to explore art. Odjig was also influenced by her mother, who embroidered, and her father, who liked to draw war scenes and his officers from his wartime experiences. Odjig once stated that "Art was always a part of our lives". Odjig moved to Parry Sound, Ontario, and then at the outbreak of World War II, she moved to Toronto for job opportunities. She was particularly influenced by her first experiences of cubist art by artists such as Picasso. It had an immediate result of bringing First Nations art to the wider Canadian art scene – in 1972, the Winnipeg Art Gallery offered three of the artists exhibiting there a show.

In the 1960s, Odjig began to paint scenes from Manitoulin legends, and in the 1970s she focused further on her Indian heritage and culture, and the impact of colonialism on her people. Among other subjects, she explored mythology, history, and landscapes. Other topics she dealt with included human suffering, relationships, culture and the importance of family and kinship.

Honours, commissions, and collections Her work is included in such public collections as Canada Council's Art Bank, the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, the Sequoyah Research Center and the Government of Israel. She was commissioned to create art by Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan, the Manitoba Museum, and for El Al, the Israeli airline. In 2025, a Canadian 2 dollar coin was struck featuring one of her artworks entitled 'Folk Singer' from 1977. In 2007, she was made a Member of the Order of British Columbia. Odjig also received the Eagle Feather by Chief Wakageshigon for her artistic achievement.

The Artshow, a theatrical tribute to Odjig by writer Alanis King, was staged in 2004 with a cast that included Jani Lauzon, Lorne Cardinal, Sean Dixon, Sarah Podemski and Gloria Eshkibok.

Exhibits Odjig traveled extensively and exhibited in Canada, the United States, Belgium, Yugoslavia and Japan. Accompanying the retrospective was a catalog written by Ojibway curator Bonnie Devine with additional text by Robert Houle and Duke Redbird.