Books: Missionary Work Among The Ojebway Indians

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"My dear Mr. Wilson,--I have only to-day been able to ascertain with
any probable certainty where I could hope that a letter, conveying my
deep and heartfelt sympathy with you and yours under the late severe
visitation which Our Heavenly Father, doubtless for wise and good
purposes, has seen fit to bring upon you, might find you.... I feel
assured that you have gone to the right quarter for comfort and support
in the trying hour; and that so doing you have experienced the
faithfulness of Him, who hath promised that He will never leave nor
forsake such as trust in Him, and have been comforted. If, in the midst
of all your cares, you can find time to send me a line, first to tell
how your dear partner is--whom I pray may be spared to you--as well as
how you are yourself, and then what your plans for the future are, I
shall indeed feel greatly obliged. Such trials as these must not
discourage us, but rather quicken our exertions and stimulate our zeal.
Praying that you may be strengthened and supported in this your hour of
need, and realize that it is _good to be afflicted_, believe me to
remain your affectionate and sympathizing brother in the Lord, F. D.
FAUQUIER."

CHAPTER XXIV.

PROSPECTS OF RE-BUILDING.

"Shingwauk--an announcement!" Such was the heading of a communication
which appeared in the correspondence columns of the "Church Herald" in
the Spring of 1874, between four and five months after our fire,--and
it ran thus: "A little more than four months ago the Shingwauk
Industrial Home at Garden River was burnt to the ground, and not a
vestige of it left. An appeal was then made to Church people of Canada,
England, and Ireland to assist in re-building it, and the sum required
being L2000; the building to comprise an Industrial School for boys and
girls, and principals residence. I am happy to announce that this sum
is, so far as I can ascertain, almost, if not already, secured. From
the Canadian Church, 1410 dols.; from Government, 1000 dols.; and the
balance from the Old Country. I mention this in no spirit of
boastfulness, but in humble gratitude to God the Father and our Lord
Jesus Christ, that the Holy Spirit hath thus inclined the hearts of His
people to give. All that has been contributed has been 'offertory
money' in the truest sense of the word. No expense (beyond printing)
has been incurred, and every contribution that has been offered,
whether of a hundred pounds or a penny, has I believe been given with a
full and grateful heart, as unto God and not as unto men."

It was indeed a very great cause not only for thankfulness, but for
deepened faith and more earnest trust in God, the Giver of all good
gifts, that a work which had seemed so completely destroyed should
thus, in the short space of four and a half months, without any effort
being made on my part, be in a fair way towards re-establishment on a
larger scale and on a more sure and permanent basis than before. Truly
can we say,

"God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform."

If only we have faith in God, how much more may be accomplished than
we have any idea of. He is _able_ to do for us far more than we
can either ask or think.

I feel it only right, at this point, to place it on record, as an
encouragement to others who would fain trust simply in God, that the
effect on myself of that fire--I cannot call it that disastrous fire--
was to draw out fresh faith and trust in my heavenly Father. At that
time, when every earthly prop seemed to have given way,--when we
suspected incendiarism and knew not whom to trust, and my little
daughter was dead, and my wife seemed to be dying, and all things
seemed to be against me,--I was enabled in that hour of deep trial to
look above, to realize that God was my Father--my good Father--who
would not let me want; in my helplessness I just cast myself upon Him,
and rested on His strong arm. Before, I had often been anxious and had
worried myself about the future, but in this my hour of distress I felt
very deeply how insecure are all earthly investments, and that as His
servants,--"labourers together with God," our work not of earth, but of
heaven,--the truest happiness was to depend very simply on our heavenly
Father for the supply of all our daily needs.

Certainly it was wonderful how the money came in for re-building our
burnt Institution. The English fund kept mounting up. First it was
L250; that was a little more than a week after the telegram was
received, and before any details had arrived. Eighteen days after the
fire it was L518; a week later, L550. In four and a half months it had
mounted up to L1500; just double the amount we had collected for the
first Institution. And all without any great effort being made. It
seemed like a fulfilment of the verse, "The Lord shall fight for you,
and ye shall hold your peace."

And now we must return to Collingwood.

Spring has come; the Indian grammar and dictionary are completed, and
have been sent to Toronto for publication; the ice is moving out of the
bay,--the first steamboat preparing to start northward. We bid adieu to
our kind friends, and are off once more to Algoma!

On the second morning we pass the Garden River dock. Our poor
Institution is gone; and in its place stands a very desolate-looking
frame cottage, with only a door in front, and not a single window
facing the river. It has been built on the site of the burnt building,
and is occupied by Mr. Frost, the Catechist. The poor old church is
standing still, scorched on one side. Some of the Indians are waving to
us as we pass;--but we are not going to stop there,--the boat goes
gliding on, and an hour later we are landed on the Sault Ste. Marie
dock. [Footnote: Shortly after this the Rev. P. T. Rowe was appointed
by the Bishop missionary to Garden River. It was thought better for
many reasons to erect the new Institution at Sault Ste. Marie in
preference to Garden River.]

We had engaged a house for the summer, near the river, and here we
took up our residence on the 18th day of May. Early the next morning I
started off to look for land whereon to build the new Institution.
East, west, and north, high and low, land was looked at, but none
seemed sufficiently desirable to choose as a site for the new Shingwauk
Home; either it was too near the village, or too far away, or too far
from the river, or of too high a price. At length, however, the spot
was decided on. One sultry evening, almost the last day of May, my wife
and myself sauntered down the road along by the bank of the broad Ste.
Marie River, a distance of nearly a mile and a half from the village.
Here was a little open clearing, while all around was thick, tangled,
almost impenetrable bush, but in front was the beautiful sparkling
river, a mile and a half in width, and two pretty green islands just in
front of us. Cryer, the farm-man, had followed us with a spade, and we
got him to turn up the sod in several places that we might see what the
soil was like. We decided there and then to make this the site of the
Shingwauk Home. The soil indeed was somewhat stony, but the distance
from the village was just what we wanted, and the land was cheap (only
L1 an acre) and, best of all, it was close to the river, which meant
plenty of boating and fishing and swimming for the boys, and skating in
winter. We bought ninety acres, but it cost us nothing, as the
Municipal Council gave us a bonus of 500 dols. On the 3rd of June (our
wedding-day) I selected the spot on which to build, measured it and
staked it out, and assisted Cryer to chop out a clearing. The bush was
so dense that we could see nothing of the river from where we were
working; but after a few days' labour the clearing was extended to the
roadway, and we could then see where we were; we made some big fires,
and burnt up the brush-wood as fast as we cut it down. On the 24th June
the contract was signed, and excavations for the building were commenced.

The first week of June saw the arrival of Bishop Fauquier to take up
his residence at Sault Ste. Marie.

The first week of June also saw the first issue of our little
Missionary paper, at that time called the "Algoma Quarterly," but now
the "Algoma Missionary News."

CHAPTER XXV.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE.

On Friday, the 31st of July, 1874, the foundation stone of the new
Shingwauk Home was laid by the Earl of Dufferin, Governor-General of
Canada.

It was fortunate that his Excellency had planned a trip to the Upper
Lakes just at this very time. Two days before his arrival a telegram
was received from Col. Cumberland, Provincial A.D.C. who was
accompanying his lordship--"I have his Excellency's commands to say
that it will give him much pleasure to lay the corner-stone of your
School on his arrival, which will probably be Friday afternoon." All
now was bustle and excitement, and great preparations were made;
triumphal arches erected, flag-poles put up and flags hoisted, and a
cold collation prepared in the carpenter's shop, which was the only
building at present erected. The ladies of Sault Ste. Marie most
liberally gave us every assistance, and the "spread" of good things was
complimented by the Governor-General, who remarked that he had never
before seen a luncheon so tastefully laid out in Canada.

On Friday, at 1 p.m., the steamship _Chicora_, which had been
chartered by the vice-regal party, drew up at the Sault dock. The
leading inhabitants of the place welcomed his Excellency on landing,
and presented him with a loyal address, to which he made a suitable
reply. During the procession a salute was fired by a company of
volunteers. The guns were two handsome brass field pieces, strongly
mounted, bearing the date 1776. An old Highlander who accompanied the
party remarked, "Captain Wilson's guns are twa sma' pieces, but they
make a tremendous noise;" and certainly the reports, as they followed
each other with the utmost regularity, justified the remark.

After some introductions to the Governor-General, he and Lady Dufferin
embarked for the Shingwauk Home. They were followed by quite a fleet of
other boats, and in due time all landed at our own newly-made dock.
Here we met the distinguished party, and accompanied them to the site
of the new buildings. Our Bishop being away, the responsibility of the
occasion all rested on myself. After a short service, conducted by the
two visiting clergymen, Lord Dufferin advanced and gave us the
following address:--

"It is with great pleasure that I have taken an humble part in the
interesting ceremony of to-day. I am always glad to have an opportunity
of showing the sympathy which I feel and the interest which I take in
the welfare of our Indian fellow-subjects. We are bound to remember
that we are under the very gravest obligations toward them, and that
the white race, in entering their country and requiring them to change
their aboriginal mode of life, incurs the duty of providing for their
future welfare and of taking care that in no respect whatsoever are
their circumstances deteriorated by changes which are thus
superinduced. It must also be remembered that, although we ourselves
have the advantage of living under Parliamentary institutions, and that
the humblest person in the land is able to feel that his representative
is in a position to plead his cause and watch over his interests in the
High Court of the Parliament of the Dominion, for obvious reasons these
advantages have not yet been extended to the Indian population. On that
account, therefore, if on no other, we are bound to be very solicitous
in our endeavours to advance civilization, to settle the country, and
to bring it under cultivation, that we do them no wrong or injury. I
must say that no better or surer method could be adopted to secure
those results than that which we have now assembled to inaugurate. It
is very evident that so great a change as that from the wild life of
the hunter to the occupation of the cultivator could scarcely be
effected at all, unless those who are thus invited to alter all their
habits of thought and life are educated with that intent. For this
purpose it is obviously the best method to lay hold of the younger
generation, by instructing them in the arts and habits of civilized
life, and to put them in a position to join with us on equal terms in
our endeavour to build up this great country, so that the various races
may be united by common interests and in a common cause. I am happy to
think that with this intent there is further joined the interest of
religion, which is even a greater and stronger means of cementing the
hearts of men together than that of patriotism. But when the two are
united and combined, as they are upon this occasion, it is impossible
but to anticipate the happiest and most successful results. I can
assure you, Mr. Wilson, on behalf of those (and there are, perhaps,
many more than you can imagine) who take a deep interest in this work,
and on behalf of your Indian friends, that you deserve our heartiest
and warmest sympathy. I can only conclude these imperfect observations
by saying, on behalf of Lady Dufferin and myself, that we both wish
this Institution and those engaged in promoting it all the success that
they themselves could desire."

At the close of this address, I, in a few words, tendered my grateful
thanks for the honour his Lordship and Lady Dufferin had conferred on
us by paying us this visit and laying the foundation stone of our
Institution, and then we repaired for luncheon to the carpenter's shop,
which was ornamented with flowers and scarlet bunting.

All passed off most agreeably, and there were many hearty cheers when
the little steamboat crossed the great river under a salute to deposit
her noble freight on the other side.

Twenty men were at work at the foundations of the new Home the day
after this visit, and all went forward with vigour. It may be well here
briefly to describe the general plan and appearance of the building.
The main building has a frontage of 75 feet, facing the river; it is
built of stone, and is three stories high; there was a wing at the
eastern extremity, and other additions have been added since; the
original cost of the building was 7000 dollars, and the additions have
made it worth about 3000 dollars more. At first all was swamp and
stumps, but the earth taken from the excavations helped to fill up the
low spots, and in time, after considerable labour, the place began to
look quite presentable, and a picket fence was put up along the roadway
in front. On the side nearest the river were the carpenters cottage and
shop (in one), which have already been mentioned, on the right, and on
the left another cottage of the same dimensions, intended at first for
an infirmary, but afterwards used as a laundry. These two cottages were
quickly erected at a cost of about 600 dollars each, and were found
very useful while the larger building was gradually rising into
existence; indeed, we were enabled, by making use of these cottages, to
re-open the Institution in a small way that very same autumn.

CHAPTER XXVI.

A TRIP TO BATCHEEWAUNING.

Besides the Indian Home which was being built I had various other
objects to attend to. There were the Garden River Indians to visit from
time to time, and I wanted, if possible, to make another trip up Lake
Superior. One Indian settlement, about fifty miles up the lake, called
Batcheewauning, I had already visited, and the Bishop had consented to
my building a school-church there and placing a catechist in charge. So,
as soon as the new Institution was fairly started, I arranged to pay a
visit to this place, accompanied by Mr. Frost. We took with us a tent
and a good supply of provisions, also lesson books and slates, and a
voyage of some ten hours brought us to the saw mills, where we were to
land. It was a dark night and raining a little. The outline of the saw
mill and a cluster of small buildings was just visible. The inhabitants
of Batcheewauning consisted of about twelve men and three women--white
people, and some sixty or seventy Indians, whose village was six miles
off across the bay. We landed our things, a sack of camp kettles and
provisions, our bedding and tent. Jacob, the Indian boy who had come
with us, was left in charge, while Frost and I went off to look for a
suitable place to camp. The owner of the saw mill directed us to an open
spot on the shore, and we bent our steps thitherward; but after
wandering about for some time, searching in vain for a smooth spot, we
espied a man approaching with a lantern, and, accosting him, inquired
whether all the land around were as rough. "Yes," he replied, "it is
only lately cleared, but you will see better in the day-time where to
camp,--and to-night you had better turn into the shanty here." To this
proposition we agreed, and following our guide, were led into an old log
shanty with crevices in its sides and roof. He lighted us a dip, and
pointed to an unoccupied corner, where he said we could fix ourselves
for the night. The accommodation, certainly, was rude, and the place by
no means clean; yet we were glad of the shelter. We laid our blankets on
the floor, and, oiling our faces and necks to keep off the mosquitoes,
were soon asleep. At first streak of dawn we awoke. The mosquitoes would
not let us rest. They became exceedingly voracious, as always, just at
sunrise. It was a fine morning, the water in the bay sparkling in the
sunlight, and the thickly wooded mountains looking soft and blue in the
far distance. Frost and myself set out again to look for a place to
camp. There was not much choice. About eight acres had been roughly
cleared around the saw mill, and beyond this on all sides was the thick
bush. We overcame the roughness of the ground by borrowing some old
boards from the mill, with which we made a floor, and erected our tent
over it. Frost kindled a fire, and I made some oatmeal porridge for
breakfast, after which we strolled along the shore, and were surprised
to find an encampment of Indians quite close to us. They belonged to the
Indian village six miles off, and were camping here for the summer for
the sake of the fishing. They occupied the ordinary conical-shaped
wigwams made of poles covered with birch bark, a tire in the middle, and
an aperture above for the smoke to escape. We spoke to several, and they
said that there were no Indians now in the village; most of them were
camping here, and others had gone to Point aux Pins. We told them the
object of our visit, which was to ascertain their condition and wants,
and, if they appeared desirous to have their children taught, we
intended building a school and sending them a teacher in the summer. All
to whom we spoke appeared much pleased by this intelligence. Many of
them knew me, as I had visited them once before, and they seemed very
glad that we could both speak to them in their own language and
understand what they said. These people were nearly all Christians. Some
had been baptized by Mr. Chance, some by myself, and others by the
Methodists; but they had no school for their children and no regular
services, and they appeared to be delighted with our proposals to build
a school and to send them a teacher. By way of proving their sincerity
we invited them to begin sending their children at once to school, and
said that while we remained we would teach every day in our camp. This
proposal was readily accepted. We commenced at once with twelve
children, but found that unfortunately we had come without any alphabet
cards. However, this difficulty was soon overcome. We cut the letters of
the alphabet out of a newspaper, and pasted them on to a sheet of paper.
Mr. Frost taught the children to sing several Indian hymns--"There is a
happy land," "Here we suffer grief and pain," &c. They learned the hymns
readily, and soon began to join quite nicely in the singing. On Saturday
evening we held a council of the people, and I propounded all our plans
to them. I told them of the "big teaching wigwam" which we were building
of stone at Sault Ste. Marie for Ojebway children from all parts, and
told them also of the appointment of a Bishop to reside at the Sault,
who would take an interest in them, and would come round in the course
of the summer to visit them. Then we spoke of the school-house which we
proposed to build for them, and agreed on the spot which seemed to be
the most suitable for the site, just at the mouth of Batcheewauning
River, near to the Indian village. On Sunday we had three services, and
Sunday-school twice. The morning service was in an Indian wigwam, for
Indians only. In the afternoon at the saw mill, in English; all the
settlers and some Indians attended--in all about thirty. In the evening
we held an informal meeting at our own tent. The Indians came together
about sun-down, and, it being cold, we all sat round the camp fire. We
sang several hymns and I read the latter part of the I Thess. iv,
dwelling on the subject of the death of Christians as distinguished from
that of unbelievers, and then offered prayer, asking God's blessing upon
them and their children, and upon Missionary effort among them and their
heathen brethren. After the service I was asked to baptize a child,
which I did, and then the people returned to their camp.

We chose a very pretty spot for the school; the soil was good, and I
purchased 120 acres at 2s. per acre to be the property of the Algoma
Diocese; I made a rough plan of the proposed school-house, with rooms
for the Catechist overhead,--pointed windows on either side to light
both floors, which, with a bell-tower, would give a church-like look to
the little building. The cost I estimated at about 500 dollars. We
intended to return to the Sault by steamboat, but none came, so we got
some Indians to take us back in their boat,--a man, a boy, and two
squaws,--and a leaky old tub it was with old rags stuffed in between
the boards. Happily we had fair weather. We camped one night on the
road, and got home in about twenty-two hours from the time of starting,
after ten days' absence. Very soon after my return I engaged a
carpenter, and the following week sent him up with a couple of men to
begin erecting the building. Within a month afterwards a Catechist was
engaged and placed in charge of the Mission.

CHAPTER XXVII.

THE WINTER OF 1874-5.

By the time winter set in, the walls of the new Shingwauk Home were
erected and the roof on, but beyond this nothing could be done until
spring. However, we could not wait for the new building to be completed
before re-organizing our work. The two frame cottages, already
mentioned, had been finished and furnished, and these we intended to
utilize for the present. The first pupil to arrive, singularly enough,
was named Adam,--Adam Kujoshk, from Walpole Island. We had eighteen
pupils altogether, boys and girls; a lady was engaged to act as matron
and school teacher; they had lessons and meals in a large common room
in one of the cottages, and in this one the matron and the girls
resided. The other was occupied by the laundress and the boys. For
ourselves we had engaged an old house at the Point, not more than half
a mile distant across the bay; so all fitted in very well.

It was a hard winter, but the children kept well, and they had a merry
and a happy Christmas. On Christmas morning we all drove in to the
Sault to church; such a sleigh load--twenty, I think, altogether,--some
sitting, some standing or hanging on, and two brisk ponies to pull.
Then there was the Christmas dinner of roast beef and plum pludding, to
which all the children did ample justice; and in the evening they came
over to our house, and we had a few amusements for them, and sang some
Christmas hymns. New Year's night was the time fixed for the Christmas
Tree and the prize-giving. Prizes were to be given not only for
reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also for laundry work, sewing,
baking, cutting wood, carpentering, &c. Such of the children's parents
as lived near enough were invited to be present, and a general
invitation had been given to our friends at the Sault, so we had a good
gathering both of whites and Indians, and the room was crowded. In the
building occupied by the matron and girls, coffee and refreshments had
been prepared for our guests, and in the other cottage was the
Christmas Tree. Passing from one building to the other, a pretty sight
was presented by the new Shingwauk Home, illuminated with half-a-dozen
candles in each window. The Christmas Tree was loaded with presents, a
large proportion of them being gifts from friends both in England and
in Canada, and prizes were given to the successful children. We had
several Christmas Carols and hymns during the evening, and all passed
off pleasantly and happily.

After these festivities were over, I thought the matron needed a rest,
for what had been play to others had been in a great measure work and
anxiety to her. So I offered to take charge myself while she went to a
friend's house for a couple of days.

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