Maungwudaus
George Henry (1811–1888), later Maungwudaus, was an Ojibwe performer, interpreter, mission worker, and herbalist. He interpreted the Ojibwe language into English. He was a herbalist towards the end of his life.
Early life
Maungwudaus was born in 1811 along Forty Mile Creek in Ontario, Canada. His father was Chief Mesquacosy, who was a War of 1812 veteran, and his mother Tuhbenahneequay, or Sarah Henry, was Chief Wahbanosay's daughter. His half-brother was missionary Peter Jones on the maternal side.[1] He spent his childhood in the territory of the Credit Mississauga. As a child, Maungwudaus learned about the medicinal properties of plants. Maungwudaus was raised to worship the Great Spirit and to sacrifice animals to him.[2]
Around 1824, Maungwudaus became a
Career
He served at multiple missions and he was a teacher at Muncey during the winter of 1835 which was to the north of
Maungwudaus organized a dance troupe, which included his family and some non-Christian Ojibwe from Walpole Island, during the summer of 1844 to tour across England. After deciding to go by the name Maungwudaus instead of George Henry, his troupe was entertained by noted people and he joined the
Later life and legacy
In the late 1850s, Maungwudaus decided to become a herbalist and he called himself Dr. Maungwudaus. He knew how to cure common ailments with herbs and they hung from his ceiling with a strong aroma. During the mid-1860s, Maungwudaus received long testimonials from clients. The last known newspaper record of Maungwudaus is from 1877 when he was building a canoe for a 4 July boat race in Carthage, New York. After participating in the race, there were no other records of Maungwudaus.[2] It was written that he died in 1888.[1]
In 2002, an 1851 painting of Maungwudaus by Paul Kane sold for $2.2 million in Calgary which placed it as the "second-most valuable artwork" in Canada.[3][4] Portraits of Maungwudaus have also been made by George Catlin and Théodore Gudin.[1]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8061-3798-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4426-6669-6.
- ^ Adams, James (November 17, 2004). "Canvas attracts global interest". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ "Kane painting fetches $2.2 million, but will it go south?". CBC News. December 2, 2002. Retrieved August 13, 2021.