Poetry
The White Wampum
Emily Pauline Johnson · 1895
Opening lines
I am Ojistoh, I am she, the wife
Of him whose name breathes bravery and life
And courage to the tribe that calls him chief.
Text quoted from gutenberg.org
Synopsis
Thirty-six poems, including seven narratives in verse that open the volume. Ojistoh, wife of the chief of her nation, tells how Hurons abducted her, tied to a horse. A captive Mohawk chief must choose between a path of embers and the place of the women; an Indian wife arms her husband for the rebellion of 1885 while thinking of the mothers of the white soldiers; settlers hunt down an old Cree; Dawendine carries a wampum of peace to the man who killed her brother. Pieces on the canoe, the lake and the seasons follow.
Context
The book was published in 1895 in London by John Lane, and the same year in Toronto and Boston, at the time when its author was at the height of her reputation on stage; two of its pieces, the paddle song and the tale of Ojistoh, were the showpieces of her recitals. A second collection followed in 1903, then in 1912 a volume of collected poems, one of the best-selling poetry books in the country, reprinted more than thirty-five times.
Who it is for
A short collection, easy to read, but whose pieces with characters require knowing who is speaking. The notes in modern editions are useful.
Prizes and reception
Neglected by critics after her death, the work returned in 1961, at the centenary of her birth, marked by a stamp; it is recognised in Indigenous letters.
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