The Johnson family home will pulse with the words of Mohawk poet E. Pauline Johnson on Sunday, as local performers recite her works in honor of the late icon’s birthday.
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“There’s a lot of Pauline fans out there,” said Whitlea Henry, tourism coordinator of community development for Six Nations Tourism.
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Hailing from Six Nations of the Grand River, the poet gained notoriety touring Canada, the United States and England in the early 1900s, performing under the stage name Tekahionwake.
Her former residence — Chiefswood National Historical Site — now operates as a museum throughout the summer, and Henry is bridging with ideas for people to creatively engage with it.
“I love a house stuck in time, but we also want to use the space as well,” she told the Hamilton Spectator on a tour of the 19th century home.
A youth group regularly rents the space for artistic exploration, and it’s a favorite spot of Six Nations Investigating Paranormal Encounters (SNIPE), the team behind the APTN show “Ghost Hunters of the Grand River.”
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However, the sheer volume of Johnson family artifacts — including, but not limited to a selection of the women’s elegant hats, an extensive library, and original furniture, most in pristine condition — has been a barrier to using the space in the way Henry envisions .
“I know it’s a national historic site but we’re trying to make it more hands-on,” she said.
She hopes transferring some items to Woodland Cultural Center for safekeeping will make room for more experiential learning, including transforming the front drawing room into an inviting library space.
They’re also looking into how augmented reality (AR) could help show select rooms as they would have been, while keeping them clear of large furnishings and artifacts, so they can be used to host intimate events and workshops.
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Garden plots and colorful beehives dot the grounds, elements Henry hopes can also factor into future experiences — particularly as visitors frequently express a desire to learn more about Haudenosaunee culture, she said.
“A lot of people want to learn more about us and we’re more than willing to share,” Henry said, adding that in addition to breaking down barriers, it’s a way to dispel harmful myths about Indigenous people.
“At the end of the day, we just want to educate and welcome everyone.”
The Pauline Johnson birthday celebration, a semi-regular event, makes her post-COVID return on Mar. 10, kicking off with a writing workshop led by Alison Fishburn of the Paris Riverside Reading Series in the morning, and readings of select Johnson poems and birthday cake in the afternoon.
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The celebration on Mar. 10 kicks off with a writing workshop led by Alison Fishburn of the Paris Riverside Reading Series in the morning, and readings of select Johnson poems and birthday cake in the afternoon.
The performers include creative writer and academic Dr. Mariam Pirbhai, award-winning Hamilton artist Fareh Malik, and former Miss Six Nations winner and young artist Aleria McKay.
“I’m excited for the lineup because all the poems they picked are pretty awesome,” Henry said.
To register for the event, email [email protected] or call (226) 387-2612.
Celeste Percy-Beauregard is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada
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