Grey Owl. The name evokes one of the most intriguing characters in Canada’s past, the Englishman Archie Belaney, who reinvented himself as a “Red Indian” to dramatize his urgent concern for the conservation of the natural world. But did his purpose justify this misrepresentation?

Twenty-five years ago, award-winning Indigenous poet Armand Garnet Ruffo released this compelling long poem to reassess the contradictory life and personality of the infamous Grey Owl. At once both humorous and tragic, Grey Owl weaves archival research and reminiscence, documentary, metafictional and lyrical forms, along with personal family connection to offer insights into the man and his mission. In accessible, dramatic language, Ruffo raises difficult questions about voice and appropriation, Indigenous culture, human rights and the environment.