On Tuesday, November 27, Schoolcraft College will host a presentation and discussion of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft’s artistry and her influence on her husband and the college’s namesake, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft.

Jane, whose Native American name translates as “Woman of the Sound that Stars Make Rushing through the Sky”, was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in 1800. She, along with her mother and grandfather, Chief Waub Ojeeg, were renowned for their storytelling abilities, which were instrumental in helping to preserve the history of the Ojibwe tribe.

As the daughter of an Ojibwe and an Anglo-Irish trader, she lived between two worlds. In addition to helping Henry understand the indigenous peoples of the upper Great Lakes and influencing other American writers of the era, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, she is also the first published Native American woman writer.

Guest speaker Margaret Noori, PhD, will share her knowledge of the life of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, and will perform a drum song written by her. Noori is a member of the faculty of University of Michigan and an associate professor at Eastern Michigan University. Her expertise is in Native American literature and language preservation.

Schoolcraft faculty members, including Mark Harris, Sam Hayes and Karen Schaumann-Beltran, will also be on hand as well to share their knowledge of Native American culture and facilitate the conversation.

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with light refreshments and several hands-on activities for children in the Liberal Arts Building on the college’s Livonia Campus. Noori’s presentation will begin at 6 p.m. The event is sponsored by the International Institute, the Native American Cultural Club and the Anthropology-Sociology Department of Schoolcraft College.