John Tanner (narrator)
Encyclopedia
John Tanner was captured by Shawnee
American Indians as a child of ten, after his family had moved to territory on the Ohio River
in present-day Kentucky
. He grew up with the Ojibwa
nation, becoming fully acculturated and learning the Saulteaux
language. He married an Indian woman, guided Europeans in the Northwest, and worked as an interpreter at fur trading posts. In 1830 his book about his many years with the American Indians was published in New York
. Its title was A narrative of the captivity and adventures of John Tanner, (U.S. interpreter at the Sault de Ste. Marie
,) during thirty years residence among the Indians in the interior of North America
.
. He was born about 1780. As part of the post-Revolutionary War
westward migrations, his family moved to country on the Ohio River
in Kentucky
in 1789. It was considered dangerous as settlers competed for territory with Native Americans
who tried to defend their lands.
In 1790 at age 10, Tanner was captured by a Shawnee
warrior. He became thoroughly assimilated
into Native American culture after he was sold to an Ojibwa
tribe. He traveled with them as far west as the Little Saskatchewan River
, near its confluence with the Assiniboine
and the present site of Brandon, Manitoba
.
from the American fur trading North West Company
. After their success, Lord Selkirk took an interest in Tanner. Using Tanner's vague memories of his childhood, Selkirk reunited him with his mother and sisters living in Kentucky and on the Mississippi
. Tanner spent the years 1818-1822 in pursuit of his family, during which he re-acquired a good knowledge of English.
Tanner returned to the Canadian territories, where he worked for a time as a trader for the American Fur Company
on Rainy Lake
. Later, he returned to the Red River settlement
and reunited with his wife and children. They were heading for Mackinac
when he was shot and seriously injured. His wife and daughters left him while he was carried to Rainy Lake by two men. After a lengthy recovery, he went to Mackinac, where he worked as an interpreter.
In Mackinac, with assistance from Dr. Edwin James, Tanner wrote his Narrative, an account of 30 years with Indians. This document provided the first detailed descriptions of the Saulteaux and Cree
peoples. It was one of a series of captivity narratives by people who had been held by Native Americans. Tanner traveled to New York City
to promote publication of his Narrative.
On his return to the west, he worked as an interpreter in Sault Ste. Marie
, a major fur trading post. He lived there until 1846, when he disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
A grandson of his, also named John Tanner, homesteaded on the Little Saskatchewan River where he ran a ferry. The settlement became known as "Tanner's Crossing". It is the present-day site of Minnedosa, Manitoba
.
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
American Indians as a child of ten, after his family had moved to territory on the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
in present-day Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. He grew up with the Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
nation, becoming fully acculturated and learning the Saulteaux
Saulteaux
The Saulteaux are a First Nation in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.-Ethnic classification:The Saulteaux are a branch of the Ojibwe nations. They are sometimes also called Anihšināpē . Saulteaux is a French term meaning "people of the rapids," referring to...
language. He married an Indian woman, guided Europeans in the Northwest, and worked as an interpreter at fur trading posts. In 1830 his book about his many years with the American Indians was published in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Its title was A narrative of the captivity and adventures of John Tanner, (U.S. interpreter at the Sault de Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie may refer to:* Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario , a Canadian city** Sault Ste. Marie , a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada...
,) during thirty years residence among the Indians in the interior of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Early life
John Tanner was the son of the Rev. John Tanner and his wife of VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He was born about 1780. As part of the post-Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
westward migrations, his family moved to country on the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in 1789. It was considered dangerous as settlers competed for territory with Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
who tried to defend their lands.
In 1790 at age 10, Tanner was captured by a Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
warrior. He became thoroughly assimilated
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
into Native American culture after he was sold to an Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
tribe. He traveled with them as far west as the Little Saskatchewan River
Little Saskatchewan River
The Little Saskatchewan River is a river in western Manitoba. It originates in Riding Mountain National Park at Lake Audy and flows about south through the communities of Minnedosa and Rapid City. Its approximate length is 185 km. It joins the Assiniboine River about west of Brandon. The...
, near its confluence with the Assiniboine
Assiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
and the present site of Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
.
Marriage and family
By 1800, when he was 20, Tanner had taken an Indian wife, the niece of Michigan fur trader, Madeleine LaFramboise, and become a renowned hunter and warrior. He spoke only the Saulteaux language and was thoroughly acculturated. In 1801 he met a fur trader named Daniel Harmon, who wrote about Tanner in his diary.Life as guide
In 1817, Lord Selkirk employed John Tanner as a guide and they set out to recapture Fort DouglasFort Douglas (Canada)
Fort Douglas was a fort of the Hudson's Bay Company that was built by Scottish and Irish settlers in 1812 in what is today Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was in the immediate vicinity of the North West Company establishment, Fort Gibraltar...
from the American fur trading North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
. After their success, Lord Selkirk took an interest in Tanner. Using Tanner's vague memories of his childhood, Selkirk reunited him with his mother and sisters living in Kentucky and on the Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Tanner spent the years 1818-1822 in pursuit of his family, during which he re-acquired a good knowledge of English.
Tanner returned to the Canadian territories, where he worked for a time as a trader for the American Fur Company
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...
on Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake is a relatively large freshwater lake that straddles the border between the United States and Canada. The Rainy River issues from the west side of the lake and is harnessed to make hydroelectricity for US and Canadian locations. The U.S...
. Later, he returned to the Red River settlement
Red River Colony
The Red River Colony was a colonization project set up by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1811 on of land granted to him by the Hudson's Bay Company under what is referred to as the Selkirk Concession. The colony along the Red River of the North was never very successful...
and reunited with his wife and children. They were heading for Mackinac
Michilimackinac
Michilimackinac is a name for the region around the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Early settlers of North America applied the term to the entire region along Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Today it is mostly within the boundaries of Michigan, in the United States...
when he was shot and seriously injured. His wife and daughters left him while he was carried to Rainy Lake by two men. After a lengthy recovery, he went to Mackinac, where he worked as an interpreter.
In Mackinac, with assistance from Dr. Edwin James, Tanner wrote his Narrative, an account of 30 years with Indians. This document provided the first detailed descriptions of the Saulteaux and Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
peoples. It was one of a series of captivity narratives by people who had been held by Native Americans. Tanner traveled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to promote publication of his Narrative.
On his return to the west, he worked as an interpreter in Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie may refer to:* Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario , a Canadian city** Sault Ste. Marie , a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada...
, a major fur trading post. He lived there until 1846, when he disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
A grandson of his, also named John Tanner, homesteaded on the Little Saskatchewan River where he ran a ferry. The settlement became known as "Tanner's Crossing". It is the present-day site of Minnedosa, Manitoba
Minnedosa, Manitoba
Minnedosa is a town in the southwestern part of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Situated 50 kilometres north of Brandon, Manitoba on the Little Saskatchewan River, the name means "flowing water" in Sioux. The population of Minnedosa reported in the 2006 Statistics Canada Census was 2,474...
.
Sources
- "John Tanner", Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- "John Tanner", Manitoba Historical Society
- "John Tanner", The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Tanner, John. A narrative of the captivity and adventures of John Tanner, (U.S. interpreter at the Sault de Ste. Marie,) during thirty years residence among the Indians in the interior of North America, ed. Edwin James, New York, 1830.