Robert McDonald (missionary) facts for kids

Robert McDonald was an important missionary who worked with First Nation people in Canada's Arctic. He lived from 1829 to 1913. He helped many communities in the far north.

Early Life and Education

Robert McDonald was born in 1829 in a place called the Red River Colony. This area is now Winnipeg, Manitoba. His father, Neil McDonald, worked for the Hudson's Bay Company. His mother, Ann Logan, was the daughter of another Hudson's Bay Company worker.

Robert was one of ten children. He went to school at the Red River Academy until he was 15. After school, he helped his father on their family farm for four years. Later, he started working at a Methodist mission in Norway House.

He also studied at St. John's Collegiate School. This school later became part of the University of Manitoba. His studies helped him become an Anglican deacon in 1852. The next year, in 1853, he became a priest.

Missionary Work and Travels

Robert McDonald's first job as a priest was at the White Dog Mission. This mission was located where the Winnipeg River and Lac Seul River meet. He worked there with the Ojibwe people.

While at White Dog, McDonald started translating the Bible. He used both a special syllabic method and the Latin alphabet. He translated parts of the Bible into the Ojibwe language.

Working in the Arctic

In 1862, a group called the Church Missionary Society sent McDonald to the Yukon. He was the first Protestant missionary to work with Indigenous people in the Arctic. His job meant traveling a lot across the Yukon and Northwest Territories. He also traveled into what is now Alaska.

When gold was found in the Klondike, McDonald was the first missionary there. He met missionaries from the Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church. Sometimes, they even shared translators to help speak with different tribes.

Over 40 years, Reverend McDonald baptized more than 2,000 people. He also started schools to educate many children and adults. His first mission station was at Fort Yukon, Alaska. People thought it was in Canada, but it turned out to be in Alaska. He later worked along the Porcupine River. He also set up another base at Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories on the Peel River.

Life with the Gwich'in People

McDonald spent most of his time working with the Gwichʼin people. They call themselves Dinjii Zhuu. In 1872, he took a trip to England. This was after the Hudson's Bay Company sold its lands to Canada. This sale led to the Red River Rebellion and the creation of Manitoba.

In 1876, McDonald was promoted to Archdeacon. He then married Julia Kutuq, a Gwich'in woman. They had nine children together.

Language and Translations

Robert McDonald is well-known for his translation work. He created an alphabet for the Gwichʼin language, which was mostly spoken, not written. With help from Julia and other Gwich'in speakers, he translated the Bible. He also translated the Book of Common Prayer and many hymns into Gwich'in. He called the language Takudh, and later Tukudh.

His translations helped bring together different tribes who spoke similar Athabaskan languages. In 1911, McDonald published a dictionary and grammar book for the language. He titled it A Grammar of the Tukudh Language.

Later Life and Legacy

Robert McDonald retired in 1905. He moved back to Winnipeg, where he passed away in 1913. He is buried in the cemetery of St. John's Cathedral in Winnipeg.

His personal journals are kept in the Yukon archives in Whitehorse. They are also with the Archives of Manitoba.

The Anglican Church of Canada remembers Reverend McDonald on August 30 each year. MacDonald Avenue in Winnipeg might be named in his honor.