History of the Ojibway People, Second Edition

Enrolled as a member of Montana’s Blackfeet Nation, Theresa Schenck also honors her Ojibwe ancestry by making it the primary focus of her research. Straddling multiple cultures is nothing new. As a scholar and Native American woman living in the modern world, Schenck occupies a role much like that of her research subject, William W. Warren.

Warren, a French-Ojibwe historian of the 19th century, knew that many non-native people unfamiliar with native culture viewed Indians in a negative way. By writing for non-natives in terms they could understand, he hoped to preserve elements of Indian culture that might otherwise be lost. Schenck’s scholarship also illuminates historical phenomena such as treaties and the fur trade, while sharing details of native life with natives and non-natives unfamiliar with the disappearing ways of the past.

The past and present unite in Schenck’s long-awaited revision of Warren’s History of the Ojibway People. Considered the definitive source on Ojibwe life and history, the book was originally published in 1885. Still, historians have always noted major holes in its presentation — not a surprise, since Warren died of tuberculosis before he could complete it.

In addition to providing extensive annotation, Schenck has correlated oral tradition with documents of the historical period, fulfilling an intention Warren could not complete himself due to severe illness and financial distress. By providing insight into Warren’s own background and perspective, Schenck paints a more complete picture of Ojibwe life — both the stories that Warren collected and the experiences he had while doing so.

“In the mid-19th century, a person of mixed ancestry, such as William Warren, was considered Indian only if he lived as an Indian,” says Schenck. “This has bothered many Indians today who think he denied his Indianness. But these people don’t understand what it meant to be Indian 150 years ago. A mixed-blood like Warren moved between two worlds as a kind of mediator, interpreter, middleman. He was needed on both sides.”

This work supplements one of Schenck’s previous projects, “William W. Warren: the Life, Letters and Times of an Ojibwe Leader.” Her familiarity with Warren’s handwriting allowed her to correct the original misprints of his spelling of Ojibwe words and add Warren’s legend of Getube, one of the many Ojibwe star stories.

As a member of UW–Madison’s cluster faculty for Expressive Culture and Diversity in the Upper Midwest, Schenck has taught classes on American Indian women, qualitative research methods, American Indian folklore and more. She continues the long tradition of passing on knowledge, whether academic or cultural, in hopes that future generations can bring new insight to the findings of the past.

But just as Warren wrote in language intended for non-Indians, Schenck shares her work in forms most accessible to her intended audience. Because of her work, the oral tradition lives on in a most untraditional way. In addition to hardbound and paperback editions, Warren’s words are now available in e-book form for the Amazon Kindle.