James Settee (circa 1809 - 19 March 1902), was of

Swampy Cree The Swampy Cree people, also known by their autonyms ''Néhinaw'', ''Maskiki Wi Iniwak'', ''Mushkekowuk,'' ''Maškékowak'' or ''Maskekon'' (and therefore also ''Muskegon'' and ''Muskegoes'') or by exonyms including ''West Main Cree,'' ''Lowlan ...

descent. He was given the name James Settee when he was baptized in 1827. He was the second Native American ordained an Anglican priest; following

Henry Budd Henry Budd (circa 1812 – April 2, 1875), the first Native American ordained an Anglican priest, spent his career ministering to First Nations people. Early life Born to Cree parents in Norway House in what was then the Red River Colony, the y ...

. He married Sarah (Sally) Cook in 1835. He was ordained an Anglican priest and spent his career ministering to

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 ...

people of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He was fluent in English, Cree and

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

Early life

James Settee was born near Split Lake, Manitoba. Settee left Split Lake in 1824 at eight years of age and went to the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

(CMS) school, which had been established by the Revd. John West in what was then known as the

Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assinboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hudson's Bay ...

in what is now the province of

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

. He attended school with

and Charles Pratt (Askenootow). He was baptized by the Revd. David Thomas Jones in 1827.

Missionary work

Settee began working with the Revd. William Cockran at the CMS missions at St. Peter’s (Dynevor) and Nettle (Netley) Creek. During the winter of 1841–42 Settee was sent to the Beaver (Weatherald) Creek–Moose Mountain region of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

as a missionary to a band of Cree-

Assiniboine The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakod ...

of the Southern Plains Cree, However Settee, as a northern Swampy Cree, lacked kinship and language ties with the Southern Plains Cree and the mission ended in 1845. In June 1846 the Revd Robert Hunter sent James Settee as catechist to establish to the mission station on the shore of

Lac la Ronge Lac la Ronge is a glacial lake in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is the fifth largest lake in the province and is approximately north of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Prince Albert, on the edge o ...

; and provided Settee with flour, pemican, clothes, tools, and everything he was likely to want until the following spring, he set out early in June, and in about three weeks arrived at his destination. In 1849, Settee moved the mission to Potato River, where he was joined by the Revd. Robert Hunt. In 1850 Settee was visited at the mission station by Dr. David Anderson the first Bishop of

Rupert's Land Rupert's Land (french: Terre de Rupert), or Prince Rupert's Land (french: Terre du Prince Rupert, link=no), was a territory in British North America which comprised the Hudson Bay drainage basin; this was further extended from Rupert's Land t ...

, and Henry Budd. In about October 1852 Hunt move the mission to the shore of the Churchill River and it was renamed the Stanley Mission. Bishop Anderson enrolled Settee at St John’s Collegiate School in 1853. He was ordained

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

on Christmas Day 1853 in St John’s Church, Winnipeg. In July 1854, Settee and the Revd. William Stagg were sent to the Fairford Mission in the Swan River district near Lake Manitoba. Settee was ordained by Bishop Anderson at St John’s on 1 January 1856. The Qu'Appelle Mission was established by James Settee in May 1858 on the

Qu'Appelle River The Qu'Appelle River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba that flows east from Lake Diefenbaker in south-western Saskatchewan to join the Assiniboine River in Manitoba, just south of Lake of the Prairies, near t ...

in the region of the

Fishing Lakes The Fishing Lakes, also called the Calling Lakes or the Qu'Appelle Lakes, are a chain of four lakes in the Qu'Appelle Valley cottage country about 40 miles (64 km) to the north-east of Regina in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. T ...

and the

Touchwood Hills Touchwood Hills are a range of hills located in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The hills are composed of the "Big" Touchwood Hills and the Little Touchwood Hills. Together they are referred to as the Touchwood Uplands. The hills are i ...

of Saskatchewan in the land of the Southern Plains Cree. Again he experience problems in working with the Southern Plains Cree and the mission ended in 1859. He visited the Qu’Appelle district in 1861 and 1865, and the Touchwood Hills in 1861, 1862 and 1865. In 1867 Settee was sent to the Swan River district until he was superseded by the Revd. D. B. Hale and transferred later that year to Scanterbury in Manitoba. Between 1867 and 1879 he served at the missions at Mapleton, Netley Creek, Lake Winnipeg, and Nelson River Island and early 1881 he was in

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because ...

. From 1883 to 1884 he was at

The Pas The Pas ( ; french: Le Pas) is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located at the confluence of the Pasquia River and the Saskatchewan River and surrounded by the unorganized Northern Region of the province. It is approximately northwest of the provinc ...

as the Revd. Joseph Reader, had fallen under the influence of the Plymouth Brethren so that the Anglican mission need to be reinforced. In 1884 he returned to Prince Albert until he retired later that year. He died on 19 March 1902 in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

and was buried in St John’s cemetery.

Legacy

The James Settee College in Prince Albert trains the majority of the indigenous clergy who serve in the

Diocese of Saskatchewan The Diocese of Saskatchewan is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert's Land of the Anglican Church of Canada formed in 1874. Its headquarters are in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The Diocese of Saskatoon was split off from it in 193 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Settee, James Canadian Anglican priests People of Rupert's Land 1809 births 1902 deaths Anglican missionaries in Canada Canadian Anglican missionaries Swampy Cree