Who is Pauline Johnson?
Pauline Johnson (1861 - 1913)
Our school is named after Emily Pauline Johnson who was an extremely popular poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to her reputation as a "popular" writer, her work was discounted by academics, yet her name is widely known to the general public to this day. As a poet with two traditions, Johnson bridged the gulf between her Native and European backgrounds. Her work presents pride in her cultural heritage, as well as the paradox of writing English poetry on Native themes for a non-Native audience.
Johnson was born on March 10, 1861 on the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford,Ontario. She was the daughter of the head chief, G.H. Johnson, a Mohawk leader, and his English wife, Emily Susanna Howells. Johnson’s informal education made her familiar with the Victorian poets and she was also told tales and legends by her Mohawk grandfather. It was these two streams of culture which she combined in her literary work. Her writings showed both a passion for First Nations legends and cultural values, and a heroic tone of English poetry.
Our school is named after Emily Pauline Johnson who was an extremely popular poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to her reputation as a "popular" writer, her work was discounted by academics, yet her name is widely known to the general public to this day. As a poet with two traditions, Johnson bridged the gulf between her Native and European backgrounds. Her work presents pride in her cultural heritage, as well as the paradox of writing English poetry on Native themes for a non-Native audience.
Johnson was born on March 10, 1861 on the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford,Ontario. She was the daughter of the head chief, G.H. Johnson, a Mohawk leader, and his English wife, Emily Susanna Howells. Johnson’s informal education made her familiar with the Victorian poets and she was also told tales and legends by her Mohawk grandfather. It was these two streams of culture which she combined in her literary work. Her writings showed both a passion for First Nations legends and cultural values, and a heroic tone of English poetry.