Ozhaguscodaywayquay
Encyclopedia
Ozhaguscodaywayquay also called Neengay (Ninge: "My mother") or Susan Johnston (born ca. mid-1770s; died ca. 1840s), was an important figure in the later Great Lakes
fur trade
. She was born into an Ojibwe family near La Pointe, Wisconsin
. Her father was the famous war chief Waubojeeg
, and she married the British
fur trader John Johnston
, a wintering partner of the North West Company
. They had prominent roles in the crossroads society of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
and the territory before 1830.
fur trader John Johnston
in 1793, and they settled at Sault Ste. Marie
in present-day Michigan. The settlement extended on both sides of the river. This was a mostly Ojibwa
, Ottawa
and Métis
community centered on a trading post of the British
-founded North West Company
. A mixture of European immigrants also worked there. It became a center of European, American and Native American politics and trade in the area.
Johnston was a "wintering partner" of the North West Company, as one who traded directly with the trappers, who were usually of Native American descent. He was a man of substance, having arrived in Canada with capital to invest in the business, and the couple was influential with trade and relations between the Ojibwe, Europeans and Americans in the area. They received as hosts many explorers, politicians of both Canada and the U.S., scholars, Native chiefs and military officers. They were considered among the ruling class in both the Native and European communities. Susan taught him and their eight children the language and ways of the Ojibwe.
Their eldest daughter Jane Johnston
married the American ethnographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft in 1823. He became noted for his work on the Ojibwe, aided by Jane's access and her knowledge of the Ojibwe language and culture. Jane Johnston has been recognized as the first Native American literary writer and poet in the United States. In 2008, she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame
.
Two additional Johnston daughters married prominent white men, one who was Henry R. Schoolcraft's younger brother James. George Johnston assisted Schoolcraft as a U.S. Indian agent
. The youngest son, John McDougall Johnston, served as the last official Indian Agent in the area.
Under the Jay Treaty
, the U.S. closed down the ability of British traders and trappers to move freely across the Canadian-U.S. border. John Johnston's business never recovered. The family separated after the War of 1812. Lewis, the oldest son, had served with the British Navy against the U.S. Taken prisoner during the war, poor treatment caused him to reject living under U.S. rule; he lived in Canada.
Susan Johnston was widowed in 1828. Their son William worked with his mother in their sugaring and fishing business for several years. After her husband's death, she and William managed the fur trading business until 1831.
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
. She was born into an Ojibwe family near La Pointe, Wisconsin
La Pointe, Wisconsin
La Pointe is a town in Ashland County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The town includes all of the Apostle Islands. There is also an unincorporated community named La Pointe on Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands . The population was 246 at the 2000 census...
. Her father was the famous war chief Waubojeeg
Waubojeeg
Waub-o-jeeg, also written Wa-bo-jeeg or other variants of Ojibwe Waabojiig was a famous warrior and chief of the Ojibwa. He was born into the Adik doodem some time in the mid-18th century near Shagawamikong on the western end of Lake Superior...
, and she married the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
fur trader John Johnston
John Johnston (fur trader)
John Johnston was a wealthy and successful British fur trader for the North West Company at Sault Ste. Marie before the War of 1812, and a leader in the Michigan Territory. He never became a US citizen...
, a wintering partner of the 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...
. They had prominent roles in the crossroads society of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
and the territory before 1830.
Marriage and family
Susan married the Scots-IrishScots-Irish American
Scotch-Irish Americans are an estimated 250,000 Presbyterian and other Protestant dissenters from the Irish province of Ulster who immigrated to North America primarily during the colonial era and their descendants. Some scholars also include the 150,000 Ulster Protestants who immigrated to...
fur trader John Johnston
John Johnston (fur trader)
John Johnston was a wealthy and successful British fur trader for the North West Company at Sault Ste. Marie before the War of 1812, and a leader in the Michigan Territory. He never became a US citizen...
in 1793, and they settled at Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
in present-day Michigan. The settlement extended on both sides of the river. This was a mostly 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...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and Métis
Métis
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
community centered on a trading post of the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
-founded 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...
. A mixture of European immigrants also worked there. It became a center of European, American and Native American politics and trade in the area.
Johnston was a "wintering partner" of the North West Company, as one who traded directly with the trappers, who were usually of Native American descent. He was a man of substance, having arrived in Canada with capital to invest in the business, and the couple was influential with trade and relations between the Ojibwe, Europeans and Americans in the area. They received as hosts many explorers, politicians of both Canada and the U.S., scholars, Native chiefs and military officers. They were considered among the ruling class in both the Native and European communities. Susan taught him and their eight children the language and ways of the Ojibwe.
Their eldest daughter Jane Johnston
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, also known as Bamewawagezhikaquay is the first known American Indian literary writer. She was of Ojibwa and Scots-Irish ancestry...
married the American ethnographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft in 1823. He became noted for his work on the Ojibwe, aided by Jane's access and her knowledge of the Ojibwe language and culture. Jane Johnston has been recognized as the first Native American literary writer and poet in the United States. In 2008, she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame
Michigan Women's Hall of Fame
The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan. It is housed in the Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of Fame building, located at 213 W. Malcolm X St. in downtown Lansing, Michigan...
.
Two additional Johnston daughters married prominent white men, one who was Henry R. Schoolcraft's younger brother James. George Johnston assisted Schoolcraft as a U.S. Indian agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
. The youngest son, John McDougall Johnston, served as the last official Indian Agent in the area.
Under the Jay Treaty
Jay Treaty
Jay's Treaty, , also known as Jay's Treaty, The British Treaty, and the Treaty of London of 1794, was a treaty between the United States and Great Britain that is credited with averting war,, resolving issues remaining since the Treaty of Paris of 1783, which ended the American Revolution,, and...
, the U.S. closed down the ability of British traders and trappers to move freely across the Canadian-U.S. border. John Johnston's business never recovered. The family separated after the War of 1812. Lewis, the oldest son, had served with the British Navy against the U.S. Taken prisoner during the war, poor treatment caused him to reject living under U.S. rule; he lived in Canada.
Susan Johnston was widowed in 1828. Their son William worked with his mother in their sugaring and fishing business for several years. After her husband's death, she and William managed the fur trading business until 1831.
External links
- Robert Dale Parker, "Introduction to Jane Johnston Schoolcraft", including material about her mother Ozhaguscodaywayquay (Jane Johnston Schoolcraft).