Unpacking the complicated legacy of poet Pauline Johnson – CBC

Jun 15, 2026

Daughter of a Kanien’kehá:ka chief and an English mother, Johnson straddled 2 cultures

For some growing up on Six Nations of the Grand River, 19th century poet Pauline Johnson was like “a shadow figure,” who haunted the dilapidated Chiefswood mansion that still sits on the Grand River.

“It’s not that we didn’t take pride in her but we just didn’t really know her well enough,” said Rick Monture, who is Kanien’kehá:ka from Six Nations.

An associate professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., which houses Johnson’s largest archive of written materials, and a former board member of Chiefswood National Historic Site, Monture has researched the literary history of Six Nations.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/pauline-johnson-chiefswood-six-nations-9.7194928