OJIBWA LITERARY WRITER BAMEWAWAGEZHIKAQUAY (JANE JOHNSTON SCHOOLCRAFT) BORN
Jane was born to a prosperous family in Sault Ste. Marie in what is now Michigan. Her name meant “Woman of the Sound that Stars Make Rushing through the Sky.” Her mother, a storyteller, taught Jane Ojibwe language & traditions; her father, English, reading, writing & the Bible. In 1809, her father took her to study in Ireland & England. Marrying in 1823, Jane and her husband—an ethnologist and then-Indian agent at Sault Ste. Marie–published Muzzenyegun, a magazine focused on the Ojibwe (1826-27). Here, Jane wrote her stories to preserve them and build bridges between Indian and white cultures. Romantic tones and importance of family were key themes. Family is reflected in Mishosha (Magician and his Daughters) & The Forsaken Brother. Jane has been recognized as the 1st known Native American literary writer, Indian woman writer, Indian poet, and American Indian to write out traditional Indian stories. Schoolcraft died at her sister’s residence in Dundas, Ontario, on May 22, 1842.
Sources: “Jane Johnston Schoolcraft,” History of American Women. Retrieved 8/20/2022, (womenhistoryblog.com) Jane Johnston Schoolcraft | History of American Women (womenhistoryblog.com)
Wikipedia
Sketch: Author unknown, circa 1860. Public Domain.
Indigenous America Calendar 