Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-19
INDIAN CHIEF
IS CLERGYMAN
MAY START MISSION AT MESA
GRANDE
Talks Of His countrymen and Says
They Are Highly Spiritual
and Of Poetic
Natures

them into the church and to tell of
them as they are is the mission of Rev.
Simpson Auhyahkaosa Brigham, son of
the chief of the Ojibwa tribe of the
Algonquin nation of Walpole island,
Ont, who is an Episcopalian clergy
man and is at present in Los Angeles
on account of i'll health.
Rev. Mr.. Brigham shows his Indian
ancestry and is tall and straight as All
arrow, with broad shoulders, dark hair
and black eyes that look straight at
one, yet full of Kindness He has a |
pleasant mouth and lacks the square
jawbone that usually characterizes a
full blooded Indian. Rev. Mr.. Brigham
combines the straightforward ways of
his ancestors with the ease of culture.
He speaks in a low musical voice and
with but the faintest trace of an accent,
which makes his rather slowly spoken
words full of music. In place of the
slurred words of the average American
he brings the poetry of his own lan-
guage.
Talks of Indians
In speaking of his people yesterday
Rev. Mr.. Brigham said:
1.-THE Ojibwa tribe is the backbone of
the Algonquin nation and is the most
numerous and powerful. Pocahontasl
was of this tribe which was also re-
IlOWllSu Ill llS walls <AllhOuSh q PSoSN7
loving nation, when angered by the
Sioux and Iroquois they fought, and
fought well. The tribe is scattered
along the great lakes on both shores.
"On Walpole island, Ont, there are
900 people, most of them being
nominally Christians. They farm,
manufacture baskets, splints, bows and
arrows, canes, sweet grass hats, toma-
hawks, hatchets, beadwork, moccasins,
and fish and hunt. They speak the
three languages of the tribes, and most
of them speak some English.
"There are two churches on the ISL
and-the church of England in Canada
and the Methodist. The Church Of
England in Canada was established for
the Indians about sixty years ago."
| In speaking of the native religion of
the tribe, Rev. Mr.. Brigham said that
they believed in a God and that very
beautiful meanings were attached to-
| everything. He continued:
Religion of Indians
"The old religion of the Indian was
the belief of Kushamuhnedoo, the
benevolent spirit or father and MeZoo-
agoodkahoojetwd, the creator of
the universe, who sent Manbozhoo or
Naneboozhoo, the creator of the world
and all things, the special messenger
of the creator of the universe. The
worship is very intricate, the most COM
plicated ritual there is. Everything
they do has something to do with re-
ligion from babyhood to manhood; it
premeates the whole life, and this is to-
be seen In their movements. The COM
plete details of this ritual are never
made known except to the initiated.
| THE religion resembles in some re-
spects the Mosaic-they are like the
children Of Israel and have the high
priest and holy of holies. BY nature
they are very highly spiritual and po-
etic and have fought advancing civili-
zation and have made their last stand
and are ready for what is inevitable and
only hope now to be reached through
their poetical and spiritual natures.
"The religion has been a natural re-
| ligion in it's beauty and now is the
time to introduce our revealed religion
Of Jesus Christ and the tribe owes what
it is today to the church of England
| in Canada and the Episcopal church
in the United States.
Great Respect for Bishop
1.-THE name of Bishop Whipple is a
household word. The members of the
tribe looked upon him as a messenger of
the great spirit-the straight tongued'
they called him. On Walapole island
Rev. Andrews Jamison was a mission
the native language and preached to
| them in 1t. He baptized my grand
father, my father and myself"
In speaking of his name, Rev. Mr..
! Brigham said that there existed an
other likeness of the tribe to the chill
dren of Israel, as they had only one
name, and when Rev. Mr.. amison bap-
| tized t.. am he gave them Christian
name and also a surname, using the
Indian name for the second given
name, wherein he was named Simpson
Brigham with the Indian name of
Auhyahkaosa, meaning among the In
dians the shining light"
Rev. Mr.. Brigham's father, the chief
Of the tribe, is lay reader in the
church of England in Canada and has
charge of the church on the island dur
ing the absence of the son. Another
son is an Episcopal minister and is at
present in charge of the church at the
White Earth reservation in Minnesota,
where there are 5000 Indians This SON
went to the mission field when he was
II years old and, like his brother, is
brilliant young clergyman.
His Education
Rev. Mr.. Brigham went to the Mo-
hawk institute, Bradford, Ontario, when
he was IS years old, not knowing a
word of the English language or a let |
ter OF the alphabet. There he remained
three years, returning to his island
home for a year. He then entered
Shingwauk Indian institute where he
studied three years and later taught
one year. From there he went to Sinai
Theological institute and later to the
theological department of the Western
university, Ontario, Canada, where he
finished his studies and was ordained
into the deaconate of the Episcopal
church December 20, 1899 and COM
menced his work among his people the
Christmas day of that year. March 25 |