Muscogee (Creek) Nation
The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...
in
Hanna, Oklahoma
Hanna is a town in southwestern McIntosh County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 138 at the 2010 census, an increase of 3.8 percent from 133 in 2000. It was named for Hanna Bullett, the daughter of a prominent early resident.Baker, J ...
, was a fullblood
Muscogee
The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands"Albert Harjo." ''Dakota Southwest Traders''. (retrieved 8 April 2009)
Education
Harjo was born on September 25, 1937, in
Hanna, Oklahoma
Hanna is a town in southwestern McIntosh County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 138 at the 2010 census, an increase of 3.8 percent from 133 in 2000. It was named for Hanna Bullett, the daughter of a prominent early resident.Baker, J ...
Hartshorne, Oklahoma
Hartshorne (pronounced "Hearts-orn") is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the second largest city in the county. The population was 2,125 at the 2010 census.
Description
The community was named for Dr. Charles Hartshor ...
then later
Chilocco Indian Agricultural School
Chilocco Indian School was an agricultural school for Native Americans on reserved land in north-central Oklahoma from 1884 to 1980. It was approximately 20 miles north of Ponca City, Oklahoma and seven miles north of Newkirk, Oklahoma, near th ...
, just north of
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City ( iow, Chína Uhánⁿdhe) is a city in Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 25,387 at the time of the 2010 census- and a population of 24,424 in the 2020 ...
. After graduating with a high school diploma from Chilocco, Harjo enlisted and served in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
. He was honorably discharged in 1959.
Art career
Harjo's subject matter derived from his own life experiences as well those of neighbors, friends and family. Albert painted in the Bacone school, a Flatstyle of painting defined by Southeaster tribal artists active at
Bacone College
Bacone College, formerly Bacone Indian University, is a private tribal college in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Founded in 1880 as the Indian University by missionary Almon C. Bacone, it was originally affiliated with the mission arm of what is now Americ ...
. His paintings used colors and multiple contour lines to define figures and shapes, as opposed to three-dimensional perspective or shading. He worked in
distemper
Distemper may refer to:
Illness
*A viral infection
**Canine distemper, a disease of dogs
**Feline distemper, a disease of cats
** Phocine distemper, a disease of seals
*A bacterial infection
**Equine distemper, or Strangles, a bacterial infectio ...
and
watercolor
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
.
Harjo exhibited his work at the
Five Civilized Tribes Museum
The Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee, Oklahoma, showcases the art, history, and culture of the so-called "Five Civilized Tribes": the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole tribes. Housed in the historic Union Indi ...
,
Red Earth Festival
The Red Earth Festival is a Native American cultural festival that takes places every June in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. Red Earth, Inc. is the nonprofit organization that hosts the festival and maintained the Red Earth Art Center, ...
,
Creek Council House Museum
Creek National Capitol, also known as Creek Council House, is a building in downtown Okmulgee, Oklahoma, in the United States. It was capitol of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation from 1878 until 1907. They had established their capital at Okmulgee in ...
, and the
Philbrook Museum of Art
Philbrook Museum of Art is an art museum with expansive formal gardens located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The museum, which opened in 1939, is located in a former 1920s villa, "Villa Philbrook", the home of Oklahoma oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his wi ...
. He also contributed his art work for causes such as the Red Cross and Native American bone marrow recruitment.Lester, Patrick D. ''The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters.'' Tulsa, Oklahoma: SIR Publications, 1995: 220. .
Harjo's paintings can be found in museums, galleries, and private collections throughout Eastern Oklahoma, the United States, and abroad.