On Friday, November 14, Schoolcraft College will host Robert Dale Parker, author of the most comprehensive biography and collection of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft’s poems and other writings, will share his insights into her life and accomplishments. “The Writings of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft,” hosted by the Native American Cultural Club, will be held at 6 p.m. in room 200 of the McDowell Center.
      Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, wife of the college's namesake, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, was an Ojibwe and is recognized as the first know American Indian literary writer. Her Ojibwe name, translated into English, “The Sound the Stars Make Rushing Through the Sky,” also serves as the title for Parker’s book.
      A recent inductee into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame,  Jane was born in 1800 in Sault Ste. Marie. The granddaughter of revered Ojibwe chief Waubojeeg, she began to write poems and stories as early as 1815. In addition to her own writings, she translated Ojibwe songs and stories into English. As the wife of Michigan Territory Indian agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, she continued her work, collaborating with him on his efforts to document Native American cultures. Her writings were published in adapted versions by Henry and were a key source for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem, “The Song of Hiawatha.”
       Jane lived during an extraordinary period in Michigan history and overcame persistant social conventions regarding women and Native Americans to create something of real value in her writings for the many generations that followed her.
      The presentation on November 14 is free and open to the public. In addition, a special display highlighting Jane’s accomplishments and featuring several of her writings will be housed in the Bradner Library throughout the month of November.