Missionary Work Among the Ojebway IndiansWilson, Edward Francis
History
Missionary Work Among the Ojebway Indians
Wilson, Edward Francis
Indians of North America -- Missions; Ojibwa Indians
I asked him if he would like me to relate to him the history of Little
Pine's conversion to Christianity. He said yes, and listened very
attentively, several times uttering ejaculations, as I recounted to him
how bewildered Little Pine had been about the many religions offered to
him when he was still a pagan some forty years ago; how he and his
father and other Indians made a journey of 300 miles in a canoe, and
then walked another 100 miles till they got to Toronto; how they went
to visit the Great Chief, Sir John Colborne, and asked his advice as to
what they should do about religion, and how Sir John Colborne said to
them, "This country belongs to the Queen. I belong to the Queen's
Church, and I think all you Indians, who are so loyal, ought to belong
to the Queen's Church too." And then, how Little Pine and his party
returned to Garden River, and ever since that time had been faithful
members of the Church of England.
The Chief then made some remarks expressing his approval of what we
had told him, and said he quite understood all that we meant.
I then asked him if he would like me to tell him what was written in
God's book, the Bible. There was only one Bible. French Christians and
English Christians were the same in that,--they had only one Bible. He
would see from what I would tell him whether it was the same as what he
had been taught. He said he was willing to hear and asked me to
proceed. As he was rather deaf, and I wanted him thoroughly to
understand. I asked Esquimau to interpret what I said instead of
speaking to him myself. As I dwelt on the universal sinfulness of
mankind, and urged that there was not a single one free from sin, the
Chief said emphatically, "Kagat, kagat, kagat, kagat! me suh goo
azhewabuk!" (Truly, truly, truly, truly, it is indeed so!) The boys and
myself then knelt and offered up prayer to God for this poor, ignorant,
yet eagerly-listening chief, and for his people, that they might be
taught the true way to life and eternal happiness. It was 9.30 p.m.
when we paddled back to our camp. We met as usual around the camp fire,
and each one repeated a verse of Scripture; then we knelt in the shade
of the dark bush, with the ripple of the water in our ears, and God's
heaven lighted up by His silvery moon, nearly at its full, and offered
up our confessions, and prayers, and praises to Almighty God before
retiring to rest.
_Sunday, August 11th_--While I was dressing, William came to say
that a squaw had come in a canoe with fish to sell. I said, "No, we do
not buy fish on Sunday." So he gave her a piece of bread and sent her
away. We had arranged with the Chief to hold a short service in the
afternoon at his camp, so we passed the morning quietly among
ourselves, reading the first part of the Church prayers, chanting the
Psalms, and one lesson, and then the Bishop taught and catechised the
boys from the Gospel for the day (Matt. vii. 15).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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