Helen Charlotte Eliza "Evelyn" Johnson (September 22, 1856 – June 12, 1937) was a

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

poet, the sister of

E. Pauline Johnson Emily Pauline Johnson (10 March 1861 – 7 March 1913), also known by her Mohawk language, Mohawk stage name ''Tekahionwake'' (pronounced ''dageh-eeon-wageh'', ), was a Canadians, Canadian poet, author, and performer who was popular in the lat ...

. The daughter of Chief

George Henry Martin Johnson George Henry Martin Johnson (''Onwanonsyshon'') (October 7, 1816 – February 19, 1884) was a member of the Wolf clan and selected as a hereditary tribal chief, chief of the Mohawk nation, Mohawk of the Iroquois, Six Nations in Canada; he al ...

and Emily Susanna Howells, she was educated at

Hellmuth Ladies' College Hellmuth Ladies' College (founded September 1869; closed 1899) was a private college for women in London, Ontario. The college was founded by Reverend Isaac Hellmuth and was inaugurated by Prince Arthur. The college had no official connection wit ...

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

. She worked in the office for the Waterous Engine Works until her mother's death in 1898, when she moved to the United States. She was matron for the Resident House at the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

and then was assistant at the Presbyterian Convalescent Home in White Plains. She was employed as a lady's companion for a senator's mother in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and then as assistant to the head of the Sheltering Arms Home in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. In 1912, she went to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

to stay with her dying sister. Her sister Pauline died in March 1913 from breast cancer. Evelyn remained there for seven months. She then worked for a time as a lady's companion in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

before returning to

Brantford Brantford (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River (Ontario), Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by County of Brant, Brant County, but is politically separate with ...

. Johnson tried to promote the construction of a monument in Canada in memory of

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and ...

. She opposed a suggestion that some of the funds raised be diverted towards the cost of her sister's monument in

Stanley Park Stanley Park is a public park in British Columbia, Canada that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The park borders the neighbourhoods of West End and Coal ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the ''

Vancouver World ''The Vancouver Daily World'' (also known as ''The Vancouver World'' or simply ''The World'') was a newspaper once published in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was founded in 1888 by John McLagan, the editor of the paper. In 1901, when John McLaga ...

'' used funds donated by Johnson to initiate fund-raising for a machine gun for the Vancouver 29th Battalion of the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

; it was inscribed "Tekahionwake" (Pauline Johnson). She donated a number of items owned by her sister to the Brantford Historical Society and also donated her family's extensive collection to the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

. Johnson criticized archaeologist David Boyle for presenting what she felt was a distorted view of Six Nations culture. She died in Brantford at the age of 80 and was buried at the

Mohawk Chapel His Majesty's Royal Chapel of the Mohawks in Brantford, Ontario is the oldest surviving church building in Ontario and was the first Anglican church in Upper Canada. It is one of only three Chapels Royal in Canada. In 1981, the chapel was designat ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Evelyn 1856 births 1937 deaths Canadian women poets Canadian Mohawk poets Canadian Mohawk women writers 20th-century First Nations writers 19th-century First Nations writers 20th-century Canadian women writers 19th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian poets 19th-century Canadian poets