Armand Garnet Ruffo facts for kids

Armand Garnet Ruffo was born in Chapleau, Ontario, Canada. He is a talented Canadian writer, poet, and filmmaker. He is also a scholar, which means he studies and teaches at universities. Armand Ruffo is a member of the Chapleau (Fox Lake) Cree First Nation, and he has Anishinaabe-Ojibwe family roots.

About Armand Garnet Ruffo

His Journey in Education and Teaching

Armand Ruffo has studied at several universities. He earned degrees from York University, the University of Ottawa, and the University of Windsor. After his studies, he focused on being a scholar, a teacher, and a writer. His writings, both academic and creative, have been published in many books and magazines.

Mr. Ruffo has taught creative writing at special centers. These include the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada and the Tŷ Newydd Centre for Literature in Wales. He also taught Indigenous literature at the En'owkin International School of Writing in Penticton, B.C. He taught at Carleton University in Ottawa as well.

Where He Works Now

Today, Armand Ruffo lives in Kingston, Ontario. He teaches at Queen's University. There, he holds a special position called the Queen's National Scholar in Indigenous Literature. This role shows his important work in studying and teaching about Indigenous stories and writings.

Awards and Recognition

Armand Ruffo has received many awards for his amazing work.

• In 2002, he won the Archibald Lampman Award for his book At Geronimo's Grave.
• In 2010, his movie A Windigo Tale won "Best Film" at the 35th Annual American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco. It also won "Best Feature Film" at the Dreamspeakers International Film Festival in Edmonton.
• In 2017, he received the Creator Award from the City of Kingston. This was part of the Mayor’s Arts Awards.
• In 2020, he was named the winner of the Latner Writers' Trust Poetry Prize.
• In 2022, he received the Principal’s Teaching and Learning Award in Indigenous Education from Queen’s University.

His Published Works

Armand Ruffo has written many books and poems.

• Grey Owl: The Mystery of Archie Belaney (1996/2022)
• Norval Morrisseau: Man Changing Into Thunderbird (2014)
• The Thunderbird Poems (2015)
• TREATY# (2019)
• The Dialogues: the Song of Francis Pegahmagabow (2024)

Two of his books, Norval Morrisseau: Man Changing Into Thunderbird and Treaty#, were finalists for the Governor General's Literary Awards. These are very important awards in Canada.

As a scholar, he has also edited several collections of writings.

• (Ad)Dressing Our Words: Aboriginal Perspectives on Aboriginal Literatures (2001)
• An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English (2013)
• Introduction to Indigenous Literary Criticism (2016)
• An Anthology of Indigenous Literatures in English: Voices from Canada (2020)
• Reclamation and Resurgence: The Poetry of Marilyn Dumont (2024)