Tekahionwake: E. Pauline Johnson's Writings on Native North America

E. Pauline Johnson’s writings on Indigenous issues and identity are gathered for the first time in this new collection.

“More than a century after her death, E. Pauline Johnson continues to surprise, intrigue, and challenge us to ask important questions about the long and often troubled relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada. Margery Fee and Dory Nason have done a commendable job in assembling Johnson’s work in such a way as to demonstrate not only her enduring legacy as a writer, but also, more importantly, her efforts as an early Native activist/feminist who engaged with issues that First Nation, Métis, and Inuit communities still confront on a daily basis. Created in an era during which ‘Indians’ were considered a ‘disappearing race,’ Johnson’s writing serves as a testament to the resilience of Indigenous peoples everywhere, and this book is evidence that her words deserve to be considered as still relevant, and vital, to the ongoing project of decolonizing our nations.” — Richard Monture, McMaster University

“This collection represents a significant expansion of the available archive of E. Pauline Johnson’s work, positioning her writing in relationship to other literary and political voices of her era. A rich contribution.” — Beth H. Piatote, University of California, Berkeley

E. Pauline Johnson, also known as Tekahionwake, is remarkable as one of a very few early North American Indigenous poets and fiction writers. Most Indigenous writers of her time were men educated for the ministry who published religious, anthropological, autobiographical, political, and historical works, rather than poetry and fiction. More extraordinary still, Johnson became both a canonical poet and a literary celebrity, performing on stage for fifteen years across Canada, in the United States, and in London. Johnson is now seen as a central figure in the intellectual history of Canada and the US, and an important historical example of Indigenous feminism. This edition collects a diverse range of Johnson’s writings on what was then called “the Indian question” and on the question of her own complex Indigenous identity.

Six thematic sections gather Johnson’s poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, and a rich selection of historical appendices provides context for her public life and her work as a feminist and activist for Indigenous people.

• | Author: E. Pauline Johnson, Margery Fee, Dory Nason
• | Publisher: Broadview Press Ltd
• | Publication Date: Dec 30, 2015
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• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781554811915
• | ISBN-10: 1554811910