Pauline Johnson, Mohawk Writer
Recitals, Performances, and Poetry Readings
Johnson was born March 10, 1861 on the Six Nations Reserve located near Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Her parents were Mohawk leader and interpreter George H. M. Johnson and Emily Susanna Howells who was originally from Bristol, England. With her three older siblings, Pauline was raised in the family’s large home, 'Chiefswood' on the reserve.
Informally educated, she was a voracious reader. Her Mohawk grandfather John “Smoke” Johnson taught her the traditional stories and legends of his people. After Pauline’s father died in 1884, financial difficulties caused the Johnsons to rent out the Chiefswood mansion and move to Brantford.
Poetry Writing and Recitals
Pauline earned money with her poetry which was published in local papers and the anthology, Songs of the Great Dominion. She also earned money with recitals of her poems to local small audiences. In 1892 Johnson began to participate in professional recitals so that she could earn money to pay for the publication of her first book of poetry.
She became a favourite of audiences as she toured Ontario and presented recitals of her Native-themed poems, such as “The Song My Paddle Sings” and “Cry from an Indian Wife”. She adopted the Mohawk name Tekahionwake (which meant the "double wampum"), told stories and jokes, and created a pattern for her presentations. Pauline began her dramatic performances wearing a ball gown. She then dressed in fringed buckskin clothing and moccasins for the second half of the programme.
Pauline Johnson Performances
During the next seventeen years, Pauline toured parts of New England, England, and most of Canada. One of the best-known performers of the time, she gave hundreds of recitals partnered with comedians or musicians. Her published books of poetry were: Wampum (1895), Canadian Born (1903), and Flint and Feather (1912). Her writings also appeared in boys’ magazines, newspapers, and women’s journals.
In 1909, Pauline Johnson retired and settled in Vancouver, British Columbia. She spent time with friends, continued with her writing, and paddled her canoe around the city’s bays. She published the book, Legends of Vancouver, in 1911 which was the result of listening to the stories of the Squamish people.
At that time, Pauline was diagnosed with inoperable breast cancer. Friends established a trust fund to raise money that would help her pay expenses. In her last poem, “And He Said Fight On”, she expressed her optimism and will to live, despite her great pain.
Stanley Park, Vancouver Cairn
Emily Pauline Johnson died March 7, 1913. On the day of her burial, all flags in Vancouver were at half-mast. Many distinguished people including the Squamish chief participated in her funeral procession. Pauline had asked that her ashes be buried in her favourite place in Vancouver, which was Stanley Park. She is the only person buried there. After her death, Pauline’s last collection of stories was published. In The Moccasin Maker, she reminisced about her parents’ courtship and explored the theme of interracial marriage.
Though she requested that there be no monument, the Women’s Canadian Club installed a cairn in 1922 bearing Mohawk designs and her picture. Her first home, Chiefswood is a National Historic Site and museum at the Six Nations Reserve on the Grand River.
Sources:
Caledonia: Along the Grand River by Barbara Martindale, Dundurn Press Ltd., 1996
Emily Pauline Johnson
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Chiefswood National Historic Site and Museum
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