Alfred Young Man
Encyclopedia
Alfred Young Man, Ph.D. (Kiyugimah or Eagle Chief, b. 1948) is a Cree
artist, writer, educator, and an enrolled member of the Chippewa-Cree Indian Reservation, Rocky Boy, Montana, USA. He is the former Department Head (2007–2010) of Indian Fine Arts at the First Nations University of Canada
in Regina, Saskatchewan
and former Chair (1999–2007) of Native American Studies, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Lethbridge
and University of Regina
.
in Browning, Montana
in 1948. His father Joseph Young Man (Sausitquanis) and mother Lillian Katherine Boushie were Cree and fluent in Cree and English; both are deceased. His paternal Cree grandmother, Theresa Ground Woman Big Springs, spoke only Cree and lived to be over 113 years old by some estimates, she is also deceased. Alfred's maternal grandfather, Edward Boushie was Cree/Métis and Edward's wife, Eliza, was also Cree from the Erminskin Reserve in Hobbema, Alberta - both were fluent in Cree and English and are deceased. Alfred grew up in East Glacier, Montana and at first spoke Cree
as a child with his extended family but like nearly all Indian children of his generation, he and his siblings were taken away to boarding school when he was six years old where the Cree language, customs and traditions were made illegal and therefor forbidden to speak or practice under US government law. Alfred's memory of the Cree language is sparse and he speaks and understands a smattering of it, however, because of the U.S. government decree he was unable to converse with his grandmother Theresa; fortunately many members of his immediate and extended family still speak and understand fluent Cree, the third most widely spoken language in Canada.
in Santa Fe, New Mexico
from 1963 to 1968 and went on to study painting, film history and photography at the Slade School of Fine Arts in London, England (1968–72). He earned his M.A. at the University of Montana (1972–74) and graduated with his doctor of philosophy degree (Ph.D.) in Anthropology from Rutgers University
in New Jersey
in 1997. Young Man has been a teacher since the early 1970s, beginning at the Rocky Boy Elementary School, then to the K.W. Bergan Elementary School in Browning, Montana, then to the Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, Montana (1975–77) and onward to the University of Lethbridge
in 1977 where he was tenured up until 2007 when he chose early retirement and began teaching at the First Nations University of Canada in Regina, Saskatchewan. Pedagogically he taught all of his courses from the Native perspective, something unheard of when he began teaching Indian fine art at the University of Lethbridge in 1977 and something that, even today, very few if any, Native art professionals claim to do. In addition to his teaching activities at the First Nations University, Young Man also worked as archival curator and custodian of the school's 1500 piece art collection.
to include First Nations art and artists in its vast collection.
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
artist, writer, educator, and an enrolled member of the Chippewa-Cree Indian Reservation, Rocky Boy, Montana, USA. He is the former Department Head (2007–2010) of Indian Fine Arts at the First Nations University of Canada
First Nations University of Canada
The First Nations University of Canada is a university in Saskatchewan, Canada with campuses in Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert...
in Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
and former Chair (1999–2007) of Native American Studies, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Lethbridge
University of Lethbridge
The University of Lethbridge is a publicly-funded comprehensive academic and research university, founded in the liberal education tradition, located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with two other urban campuses in Calgary and Edmonton. The main building sits among the coulees on the west side of...
and University of Regina
University of Regina
The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a junior college in 1925, and was disaffiliated...
.
Background
Alfred Young Man was born on the Blackfeet Indian ReservationBlackfeet Indian Reservation
The Blackfeet Indian Reservation or Blackfeet Nation is an Indian reservation of the Blackfeet tribe in Montana in the United States. It is located east of Glacier National Park and borders Canada to the north. Cut Bank Creek and Birch Creek make up part of its eastern and southern borders...
in Browning, Montana
Browning, Montana
Browning is a town in Glacier County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,016 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Browning is located at ....
in 1948. His father Joseph Young Man (Sausitquanis) and mother Lillian Katherine Boushie were Cree and fluent in Cree and English; both are deceased. His paternal Cree grandmother, Theresa Ground Woman Big Springs, spoke only Cree and lived to be over 113 years old by some estimates, she is also deceased. Alfred's maternal grandfather, Edward Boushie was Cree/Métis and Edward's wife, Eliza, was also Cree from the Erminskin Reserve in Hobbema, Alberta - both were fluent in Cree and English and are deceased. Alfred grew up in East Glacier, Montana and at first spoke Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
as a child with his extended family but like nearly all Indian children of his generation, he and his siblings were taken away to boarding school when he was six years old where the Cree language, customs and traditions were made illegal and therefor forbidden to speak or practice under US government law. Alfred's memory of the Cree language is sparse and he speaks and understands a smattering of it, however, because of the U.S. government decree he was unable to converse with his grandmother Theresa; fortunately many members of his immediate and extended family still speak and understand fluent Cree, the third most widely spoken language in Canada.
Academic career
Young Man attended the Institute of American Indian ArtsInstitute of American Indian Arts
The Institute of American Indian Arts is a college focused on Native American art. It is situated in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is congressionally chartered, and was created by an executive order of former American President John F. Kennedy in 1962...
in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
from 1963 to 1968 and went on to study painting, film history and photography at the Slade School of Fine Arts in London, England (1968–72). He earned his M.A. at the University of Montana (1972–74) and graduated with his doctor of philosophy degree (Ph.D.) in Anthropology from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in 1997. Young Man has been a teacher since the early 1970s, beginning at the Rocky Boy Elementary School, then to the K.W. Bergan Elementary School in Browning, Montana, then to the Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, Montana (1975–77) and onward to the University of Lethbridge
University of Lethbridge
The University of Lethbridge is a publicly-funded comprehensive academic and research university, founded in the liberal education tradition, located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with two other urban campuses in Calgary and Edmonton. The main building sits among the coulees on the west side of...
in 1977 where he was tenured up until 2007 when he chose early retirement and began teaching at the First Nations University of Canada in Regina, Saskatchewan. Pedagogically he taught all of his courses from the Native perspective, something unheard of when he began teaching Indian fine art at the University of Lethbridge in 1977 and something that, even today, very few if any, Native art professionals claim to do. In addition to his teaching activities at the First Nations University, Young Man also worked as archival curator and custodian of the school's 1500 piece art collection.
Community involvement
Young Man served as chair of the board of the Society of Canadian Artists of Native Ancestry, which was instrumental in convincing the National Gallery of CanadaNational Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
to include First Nations art and artists in its vast collection.
Published works
- Young Man, Alfred. The Buckskin Ceiling: A Native perspective on Native Art Politics, Aboriginal Issues Press, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg 2011.
- Young Man, Alfred. "Native Arts in Canada: The State, Academia, and the Cultural Establishment." McRoberts, Kenneth, ed. Beyond Quebec: Taking Stock of Canada. Montreal, Quebec: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1995: 218-250. ISBN 978-0-7735-1314-3.
- Boyer, Bob and Alfred Young Man. Kiskayetum Allen Sapp, a Retrospective = Kiskayetum Allen Sapp, Une Retrospective. Norman McKenzie Art Gallery, 1994. ISBN 978-0-920922-95-8.
- Young Man, Alfred. North American Indian Art: It's a Question of Integrity. Kamloops, British Columbia: Kamloops Art Gallery, 1998. IBSN 978-1895497335.
- Young Man, Alfred, Ingo Hessel, and Bryce Kanbara. Visions of Power: Contemporary Art by First Nations, Inuit and Japanese Canadians. Earth Spirit Festival, 1991. IBSN 978-0969526803.