An Aboriginal Presence

An Aboriginal Presence

Pauline Johnson (1861-1913)

Pauline Johnson was born to a Mohawk father and English mother on the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario. She adopted the Mohawk name Tekahionwake (Double Wampum) and became a well-known poet and entertainer.

Pauline Johnson wrote popular poems with Aboriginal themes, and performed in both evening gowns and a fringed buckskin dress. Although she wrote in many genres, she was best known for her poetry, particularly "The Song My Paddle Sings."

Pauline Johnson, ca. 1895 Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, C-085125