Anahareo
Encyclopedia
Gertrude Moltke Bernard, CM
, also known as Anahareo, (June 18, 1906 – June 17, 1986) was a Mohawk
woman who was the influential companion of Grey Owl
, born Archibald Belaney, a writer and one of Canada
's first conservationist
s.
to a Mohawk Iroquois
family on June 18, 1906. She grew up a strongly independent woman and something of a tomboy
. Her friends nicknamed her "Pony".
When Gertrude was 19, she met Grey Owl, then age 37, a trapper who occasionally played piano at the lodge. He invited her to accompany him to his traplines. They married shortly afterward in an Anishinaabeg ceremony, although he was still legally married to his first wife Angele Eguwan, an Ojibwe.
Anahareo encouraged Grey Owl to stop trapping and publish his writings about wilderness life. In Pilgrims of the Wild (1934), Grey Owl recounts how his young Iroquois wife, by saving the lives of two beaver
kits and raising them, led him to change his way of life and to work for the protection of wildlife. They had a daughter together, Shirley Dawn (August 23, 1932 - June 3, 1984).
The couple split up in 1936. Grey Owl died in 1938, a best-selling author. After his death, it was revealed that he was not part-Apache
as he had claimed, but an Englishman
named Archibald Stansfeld Belaney.
In 1940 Gertrude, using the name Anahareo that Grey Owl had given her, wrote a book called My Life With Grey Owl. In 1972 she wrote the best-seller, Devil in Deerskins: My Life With Grey Owl, in which she denied having known Grey Owl's true origins. She said she had been hurt to discover his deception.
After Grey Owl's death, Gertrude married Count Eric Moltke Huitfeldt. They had two daughters together. Over the 50 years following her separation from Grey Owl, she continued to be active in the conservation and animal rights movement.
In 1979 Anahareo was admitted into the "Order of Nature", of the Paris-based International League of Animal Rights in 1979. She was elected a Member of the Order of Canada in 1983.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, also known as Anahareo, (June 18, 1906 – June 17, 1986) was a Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
woman who was the influential companion of Grey Owl
Grey Owl
Grey Owl was the name Archibald Belaney adopted when he took on a First Nations identity as an adult...
, born Archibald Belaney, a writer and one of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's first conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
s.
Biography
Gertrude Bernard was born in Mattawa, OntarioMattawa, Ontario
Mattawa is a town in northeastern Ontario, Canada, at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers in Nipissing District. Mattawa means "Meeting of the Waters" in Ojibwa...
to a Mohawk Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
family on June 18, 1906. She grew up a strongly independent woman and something of a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
. Her friends nicknamed her "Pony".
When Gertrude was 19, she met Grey Owl, then age 37, a trapper who occasionally played piano at the lodge. He invited her to accompany him to his traplines. They married shortly afterward in an Anishinaabeg ceremony, although he was still legally married to his first wife Angele Eguwan, an Ojibwe.
Anahareo encouraged Grey Owl to stop trapping and publish his writings about wilderness life. In Pilgrims of the Wild (1934), Grey Owl recounts how his young Iroquois wife, by saving the lives of two beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
kits and raising them, led him to change his way of life and to work for the protection of wildlife. They had a daughter together, Shirley Dawn (August 23, 1932 - June 3, 1984).
The couple split up in 1936. Grey Owl died in 1938, a best-selling author. After his death, it was revealed that he was not part-Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
as he had claimed, but an Englishman
Englishman
Englishman may refer to:*English people*Grey Partridge*Jason Englishman, Canadian rock music singer and guitarist*Jenny-Bea Englishman, real name of the Canadien singer Esthero*Erald Briscoe, reggae musician who records under the name Englishman...
named Archibald Stansfeld Belaney.
In 1940 Gertrude, using the name Anahareo that Grey Owl had given her, wrote a book called My Life With Grey Owl. In 1972 she wrote the best-seller, Devil in Deerskins: My Life With Grey Owl, in which she denied having known Grey Owl's true origins. She said she had been hurt to discover his deception.
After Grey Owl's death, Gertrude married Count Eric Moltke Huitfeldt. They had two daughters together. Over the 50 years following her separation from Grey Owl, she continued to be active in the conservation and animal rights movement.
In 1979 Anahareo was admitted into the "Order of Nature", of the Paris-based International League of Animal Rights in 1979. She was elected a Member of the Order of Canada in 1983.
External links
- "Anahareo", The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...