Archives Alive: Pauline Johnson and Her Archive: A Conversation with Dr. Rick Monture

Emily Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake) (1861-1913) was born on the Six Nations reserve near Brantford, Ontario. Of Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) and European descent, she spent her early years in the community, where her father, George Johnson, held a position of prominence as a Mohawk Wolf Clan Chief and a translator for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Council. Pauline Johnson would go on to become a successful poet and performer, touring across North America and the UK and publishing six volumes during her lifetime. She was a strong advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples and women, writing many newspaper articles on these topics; she has also drawn criticism for her espousal of assimilationist sentiments. She is, as Dr. Rick Monture writes, “an enigmatic figure” whose complex legacy still captures interest more than a century after her death.
Join Dr. Rick Monture, Associate Professor in McMaster’s departments of Indigenous Studies and English and Cultural Studies, for an exploration of Pauline Johnson, her legacy, and her archive at McMaster University Library.