Jackson Beardy
Beardy was the son of John Beardy and Dinah Monias and fifth of 13 children. He was raised by his grandmother, from whom he learned the rich history and sacred stories of his ancestors. He attended residential school at Portage la Prairie at the age of sixteen. He did not speak English when he started schoolIn 1972 Jackson Beardy, Alex Janvier and Daphne Odjig held a joint exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. It was called "Treaty Numbers 23, 287, 1171" a reference to the treaty numbers that the Canadian government gave to the indigenous groups which they had concluded treaties. From this exhibition grew a group of indigenous (Native) Canadian artists who named their selves the "Professional Native Indian Artists Association” in 1973