The roots of a creative spirit

Daphne Odjig grew up on the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island. Her early years were shaped by the hands of those around her. Her father, Dominic, sketched scenes, while her mother, Joyce, worked with embroidery. A significant presence in her childhood was her grandfather, Jonas Odjig, a stonecarver who taught her to draw and carve. These early lessons stayed with her through a period of illness when rheumatic fever forced her to leave school at thirteen. During those years of recovery, she found quiet companionship in art and music.

As she moved through Toronto during the Second World War, she spent her spare time in galleries like the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario. She looked closely at the works of Picasso, finding interest in the shapes of Cubism. Later, a move to British Columbia and then Manitoba brought new landscapes and people into her view. In the 1960s, she began making pen and ink drawings of the Cree people from northern Manitoba, documenting their lives and the changes occurring in their communities.

A language of lines and color

Her way of painting grew from a mix of different influences. She took elements from Aboriginal pictographs and merged them with modern European techniques. Her work often features thick outlines, overlapping shapes, and curved contours. These rounded edges were a quiet nod to the carved tombstones made by her grandfather. While some of her early pieces were realistic, she moved toward expressionism and more geometric forms.

The subjects she chose reflected her own history and the world she saw. She painted from Anishinaabe legends and explored themes of mythology, landscape, and the impact of colonialism. Her work often touched on the lives of women and children within Indigenous communities. Some pieces used bold colors and heavy pigments to create depth, while others were minimalist fine-line sketches or monochrome ink drawings.

Building a space for others

In 1971, she opened Odjig Indian Prints of Canada in Winnipeg, which later became the New Warehouse Gallery. This was the first gallery in Canada to focus exclusively on representing First Nations art and was Native-owned and operated. She worked alongside other artists like Alex Janvier and Norval Morrisseau to form the Professional Native Indian Artists Association. This group sought to bring Indigenous art into the wider Canadian art scene, moving it away from being viewed only as craft.

Her career saw many recognitions for her efforts in both art and advocacy:

• The Order of Canada
• The Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts
• The National Aboriginal Achievement Award
• The Order of British Columbia
• Five honorary doctorates, including a Doctor of Letters from Laurentian University

Her paintings can be found in several permanent collections, including the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Her legacy is also marked by her role in helping to establish a platform for contemporary Indigenous artistry across the country.