E.Pauline Johnson

E. Pauline Johnson (1861–1913) was a Canadian Mohawk poet who toured giving recitations under the name Tekahionwake. Public information about her life is limited, and her body of work is small; among her writings, The Moccasin Maker is a representative title, often categorized as inspirational and personal growth writing. Her work is rooted in Mohawk experience and cultural memory, with plain language and the rhythm of oral recitation, drawing themes of resilience, self-reliance, and self-fulfillment from everyday circumstances. By reciting publicly as an Indigenous woman, she brought her voice to a wider audience of readers and listeners and left a notable record of early Canadian Indigenous literature; her writings remain valuable for later readers seeking to understand the lives and inner world of Mohawk women.