Bridging Two Peoples: Chief Peter E. Jones, 1843–1909

Preface

xiii Q Preface Q That beautiful flowers such as foxglove and opium poppies contain potent drugs remains a source of amazement, even though as a physician I recognize that they have been largely replaced by synthetic chemical equivalents. In their northern climes, Canada’s Aboriginal peoples discovered many medicinal plants, roots, and barks. Moreover, Aboriginal healers knew when to harvest and treat the plants and how to administer the medicinal agents that effectively relieved so many common disorders. This led me to wonder whether the first licensed Aboriginal physicians would have prescribed traditional therapies as well as European drugs. In looking into this question, I discovered Dr. Peter Edmund Jones, the first known Status Indian to obtain a doctor of medicine degree at a Canadian medical school (Queen’s University, 1866). Jones’s student record consisted of an entry in a register that lists two names: “Peter E. Jones” and “Kahkewaquonaby” (The Waving Plume). During his years of medical training in then colonial Kingston, he came to realize his potential as a spokesperson for the Aboriginal peoples, many of whom had yet to learn English. Asked to provide a name for the graduation list, he selected Kahkewaquonaby, thus confirming that he regarded himself as a Status Indian whose life would be governed not by common law but by the Indian Act. Respected as a physician, a gifted orator, and writer, he would try to bridge the gap between two peoples represented by his Aboriginal father and Euro-Canadian mother. Though raised in the Euro-Canadian community of Brantford, Ontario, racial prejudice kept him outside their closely knit medical community. Who had ever heard of an Aboriginal physician? Would he perform magic cures or prescribe secret herbal potions? Dr. Jones eventually opened an office in nearby Hagersville, a village situated near the border of the Mississaugas of the New Credit reserve. As he had inherited his father’s farm on the xiv Preface reserve, he inevitably became involved with the Aboriginal peoples, many of whom became his patients. Band elders elected him to the posts of head chief and official band physician. He was also elected secretary-treasurer of the Grand General Indian Council of Ontario and Quebec or Grand Council, a loose union of various tribes. He published the minutes of their meetings and sent them to Ottawa in the vain hope of altering the continuously amended Indian Act. In 1886, in order to educate his people and encourage them to exercise their newly acquired voting rights, he edited and published The Indian, Canada’s first Aboriginal newspaper. He campaigned for more municipal powers on reserves and tried to remove pejorative terms from the Indian Act. In an era when band chiefs could not yet speak English, Jones bridged the gap between Aboriginal leaders and the Department of Indian Affairs. He wrote countless letters conveying their concerns, directly to his friend and political mentor, Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald. With the support of the chief and Band Council of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, I combed their archives and those of Queen’s University, Indian Affairs Canada, his mother’s diary, private correspondence , and many other unique sources. This century-long “paper chase” revealed how effectively this Native Indian community used the annual interest on monies derived from the sale of their former lands to promote the health, education, and social welfare of their members. One hundred years after Dr. Jones’s death, it is more important than ever that Canadians hear his story, not only in recognition of his own accomplishments but also of those made by his Aboriginal colleagues. Chiefs, band councillors, and Elders served their communities faithfully as they faced determined efforts at assimilation. They were a unique people and their actions helped strengthen that standing. These capable, informed, and caring men and women set the stage for the remarkable resurgence of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples during the twentieth century and beyond. Preface xv Brantford Hagersville Six Nations of the Grand River Territory Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation Lake Erie Lake Ontario Hamilton Toronto Niagara Falls Buffalo N Hagersville to: New Credit 7 km Ohsweken 19 km Brantford 33 km Hamilton 45 km Toronto 111 km Map 1 A portion of southern Ontario occupied by the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. Christine Lalonde, illustrator. This page intentionally left blank ...