Ojibwe writer Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (1800-1842)
"Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, also known by her Ojibwe name Bamewawagezhikaquay, (Woman of the Sound the Stars Make Rushing Through the Sky), is considered by many to be one of the first Native American literary writers. "She was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Her mother, Ozhaguscodaywayquay, also known as 'Susan,' was the daughter of Chief Waubojeeg. Jane's father, John Johnston, was an Irish fur trader. "Jane Johnston married Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, a geographer, geologist, ethnologist, and Indian agent. He encouraged her to write and likely influenced those writings." Michigan Women Forward , a nonprofit organization dedicated to the economic empowerment of women and minorities, digs deeper into Schoolcraft's rich history: Schoolcraft (1800 – 1842) is considered by literary scholars and historians to be the first known Native American writer. The granddaughter of the revered Ojibwe chief Waubojeeg, she began as early as ...
