Jane Johnston Schoolcraft facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
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| Bamewawagezhikaquay ("Woman of the Sound that the stars make Rushing Through the Sky") | |
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| Born | January 31, 1800 |
| Died | May 22, 1842 (aged 42) Canada
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| Resting place | St. John's Anglican Church, Ancaster, Ontario |
| Occupation | Author |
| Known for | Early American Indian author; wrote in English and Ojibwe |
| Spouse(s) | Henry Rowe Schoolcraft |
| Children | William Henry Schoolcraft, Jane Susan Ann Schoolcraft, John Johnston Schoolcraft |
| Parent(s) | Mother, Ozhaguscodaywayquay, father, John Johnston |
| Relatives | Grandfather, Waubojeeg |
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, also known as Bamewawagezhikaquay, was born on January 31, 1800, and passed away on May 22, 1842. She is known as one of the very first Native American writers. Jane had both Ojibwe and Scots-Irish family roots. Her Ojibwe name, Bamewawagezhikaquay, means "Woman of the Sound [that the stars make] Rushing Through the Sky." She spent most of her life in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Growing Up and Learning
Jane Johnston was born in Sault Ste. Marie, which is in the upper part of what is now Michigan. Her mother, Ozhaguscodaywayquay, was the daughter of Waubojeeg. He was an important Ojibwe war chief and leader from what is now northern Wisconsin.
Jane's father, John Johnston (1762–1828), was a fur trader who came from Belfast, Ireland. The Johnston family was very well-known in Sault Ste. Marie. Jane's parents were important leaders in both the European-American and Ojibwe communities.
From her mother and her family, young Jane learned the Ojibwe language and culture. Her father, who had a large library, taught her about written stories and books.
Her Writings
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft wrote poems and traditional Ojibwe stories. She also translated Ojibwe songs into English. She mostly wrote in English, but she also wrote some poems in the Ojibwe language. This shows how she lived her daily life using both languages.
Even though she didn't publish her work in books, she shared her love for writing with her husband, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. They often worked together on their writings. Jane's poems usually focused on her personal life and feelings.
Today, many experts and students are very interested in Jane Schoolcraft's writings. She is seen as "the first Native American literary writer." She was also the first known Native American woman writer and poet. She was the first known poet to write poems in a Native American language. Plus, she was the first known American Indian to write down traditional Indian stories. Her importance in Native American literature is often compared to Anne Bradstreet in wider American literature.
Marriage and Family Life
In 1823, Jane married Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. He was a U.S. Indian agent in the area. An Indian agent was a government official who worked with Native American tribes. Henry became an important person in the study of American cultural anthropology. He worked as a U.S. Indian Agent in the Northwest from 1822 to 1841.
In 1826 and 1827, Henry Schoolcraft created a handwritten magazine called The Literary Voyager. This magazine included some of Jane's writings. Even though there was only one copy of each issue, it was shared widely. People in Sault Ste. Marie read it, and then it was sent to friends in Detroit, New York, and other cities. Jane and Henry often wrote poems in their letters to each other when they were apart. This shows how writing was a big part of their daily lives.
Henry Schoolcraft became famous for his later books about Native Americans, especially the Ojibwe people and their language. His work was based on information and stories he learned from Jane and her family. They also helped him meet other Ojibwe people. In 1846, the United States Congress asked him to write a big study. This became a six-volume work called Indian Tribes of the United States. Henry Schoolcraft's books, which included Jane's writings, were the main source for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem, The Song of Hiawatha (1855).
Jane and Henry had four children:
- William Henry Schoolcraft (June 1824 - March 1827) died from croup when he was almost three years old. Jane wrote poems to express her sadness about losing him.
- A stillborn daughter (November 1825).
- Jane Susan Ann Schoolcraft (October 14, 1827 - November 25, 1892, Richmond, Virginia), who was called Janee.
- John Johnston Schoolcraft (October 2, 1829 – April 24, 1864). He fought in the Civil War. He was hurt at the Battle of Gettysburg and could no longer serve. He passed away at age 34 in Elmira, New York.
In 1833, Jane and Henry Schoolcraft moved to Mackinac Island. Henry was given a larger area to manage as an Indian agent. Their home there is no longer standing. However, Henry Schoolcraft's office, also known as the Indian Dormitory, still exists. It was used to house Native Americans who came to the island to receive supplies and payments promised to them.
When Janee and John were eleven and nine years old, their parents sent them to boarding schools on the East Coast. This was hard for John. Jane Schoolcraft wrote a poem in Ojibwe that showed how much she missed them after they left.
In 1841, Henry lost his job as a federal Indian agent because of a change in government leaders. The Schoolcrafts then moved to New York City. Henry worked there doing research on American Indians. Jane Schoolcraft was often sick. She passed away in 1842 while visiting her married sister in Canada. She was buried at St. John's Anglican Church in what is now Ancaster, Ontario.
Her Legacy
- 1932: Jane Johnston is an important character in the historical novel The Invasion by Janet Lewis.
- 1962: Philip P. Mason published some issues of The Literary Voyager. He showed how much Henry Schoolcraft learned from the John Johnston family.
- 2005: A song called "Sweet Willy, My Boy" was released. Its words came from a poem Jane Johnston Schoolcraft wrote about the death of her first son.
- 2007: Robert Dale Parker published The Sound the Stars Make Rushing Through the Sky: The Writings of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft. This book included all of her writings, many of which had never been published before. It also told her life story.
- 2008: Jane Johnston Schoolcraft was added to the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
