Armand Garnet Ruffo facts for kids

Armand Garnet Ruffo was born in Chapleau, Ontario, Canada. He is a talented Canadian scholar, filmmaker, writer, and poet. He is from the Anishinaabe-Ojibwe people. He is also a member of the Chapleau (Fox Lake) Cree First Nation.

About Armand Garnet Ruffo

Armand Garnet Ruffo has studied at several universities. These include York University, the University of Ottawa, and the University of Windsor. After his studies, he became a scholar, teacher, and writer. His writings have appeared in many books and magazines.

Teaching and Work

Ruffo has taught creative writing to many students. He taught at the Banff Centre for the Arts. He also taught at the Tŷ Newydd Centre for Literature Wales. He has taught Indigenous literature too. This was at the En'owkin International School of Writing in Penticton, B.C. He also taught at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Today, Armand Garnet Ruffo lives in Kingston, Ontario. He teaches at Queen's University. There, he is the Queen's National Scholar in Indigenous Literature. This means he is a special expert in Indigenous literature.

Awards and Recognition

Armand Garnet Ruffo has won many important awards for his work.

• In 2002, he won the Archibald Lampman Award. This was for his book of poems called At Geronimo's Grave.
• In 2010, his movie A Windigo Tale won two big awards. It was named Best Film at the American Indian Film Festival. It also won Best Feature Film at the Dreamspeakers International Film Festival.
• In 2017, he received the Creator Award. This was part of the Mayor’s Arts Awards from the City of Kingston.
• In 2022, he won the Principal’s Teaching and Learning Award. This award was for his work in Indigenous Education at Queen’s University.
• In 2020, he was given the Latner Writers' Trust Poetry Prize. This is a major award for poets in Canada.

Published Works

Armand Garnet Ruffo has written many books.

• 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 were nominated for a big award. Norval Morrisseau: Man Changing Into Thunderbird and Treaty# were finalists for the Governor General's Literary Awards. This award celebrates the best Canadian books.

He has also edited several important collections of writings. These books help share Indigenous voices and stories.

• (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)