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Grey Owl (or
Wa-sha-quon-asin, from the
OjibweOjibwe is an indigenous language of the Algonquian linguistic family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems. There is no single dialect that is considered the most prestigious or most prominent, and no standard writing system...
wenjiganoozhiinh, meaning "
great horned owlThe Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.The Magellanic Horned Owl The Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an...
" or "
great grey owlThe Great Grey Owl or Lapland Owl is a very large owl, distributed across the Northern Hemisphere.-Description:Adults have a big, rounded head with a grey face and yellow eyes with darker circles around them. The underparts are light with dark streaks; the upper parts are grey with pale bars...
") was the name
Archibald Belaney (September 18, 1888 – April 13, 1938) adopted when he took on a
First NationsFirst Nations is a term of ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada, who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 600 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread all across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia...
identity as an adult. A
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
native, he became a writer and one of
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's first
conservationistsConservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its forests, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important...
. Revelation of his origins after his death adversely affected his reputation for some time. Since the 1970s and at the centennial of his birth, there has been renewed public appreciation for his conservation efforts. Recognition has included biographies, a historic plaque at his birthplace, a 1999
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
by
Richard AttenboroughRichard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, CBE is an English actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur. Attenborough has won two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes...
, and a 2005 TV special about him.
Early years
Archibald Stansfeld Belaney was born in September 1888 in
HastingsHastings is a town and Borough on the coast of East Sussex in England. It includes originally separate settlements, as well as the inevitable growth of the town through the building of new estates....
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, to a farmer family. His father wasted the family fortune in drinking. After his parents separated in 1901, his father left the country.
Belaney was raised by his grandmother and two maiden aunts. He expressed an interest in nature and
American IndianAmerican Indian may refer to:*Native Americans in the United States*Indigenous people of the Americas*Indian American*Americans in India*With a hyphen, India – United States relations,...
culture at an early age. He went to Hastings Grammar School. At the age of 16 – due to his aunts' urging – he left to work for a timber yard. He was fired when he dropped a bomb down his employer's chimney (Dickenson, Lovat.
Wilderness Man. p. 40).
Immigration to Canada
In 1906 at age 18, Belaney emigrated to Canada, ostensibly to study
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
. After a brief time in
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
, he moved to Temagami, Northern
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
and worked as a fur trapper. He met with the
AnishinaabeAnishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is a self-description often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonkin peoples, who all speak closely related Anishinabe/Anishinabe languages.The meaning of Anishnaabeg is "First-" or...
of Tema-Augama to learn their language and lore. On August 23, 1910, he married an Anishinaabe woman, Angele Egwuna, from whom he learned much about the people. They started life together in a tent on
Bear Island (Lake Temagami)Bear Island, Ontario, Canada is home to the Temagami First Nation and is a portion of the Aboriginal community, the Teme-Augama Anishnabai . The 1.8 sq mi / 4.66 km² island is the largest in Lake Temagami, about 95 km north of North Bay, Ontario. It is only a small portion of the Anishnabe's...
and had a daughter, Agnes. Angele's uncle called Belaney "Little Owl" because he watched everything carefully.
Belaney worked as a trapper,
wildernessWilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
guideA guide is a person who leads anyone through unknown or unmapped country. This includes a guide of the real world , as well as a person who leads someone to more abstract places .-Etymology:The word "guide" was incorporated into English via Old French...
, and forest ranger. At first he began to sign his name as "Grey Owl". Then he adopted a native identity, telling people that he was a child of a
ScottishThe Scots people and an ethnic group indigenous to Scotland.An ethnic group, historically they emerged from an amalgamation of Picts, Gaels and Brythons....
father and Apache mother, and had emigrated from the U.S. to join the
OjibwaThe Ojibwe or Chippewa is the largest group of Native Americans-First Nations north of Mexico, including Métis. They are the third-largest in the United States, surpassed only by Cherokee and Navajo. They're equally divided between the United States and Canada...
in Canada.
In 1915 during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, Grey Owl joined the 13th (Montreal) Battalion of the
Black WatchThe Black Watch of Canada is a reserve infantry regiment in 34 Brigade Group, Land Force Quebec Area. The regiment is located on rue de Bleury in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is currently commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas MacKay....
. His unit was shipped to
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, where he served as a
sniperA sniper is a highly trained marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles...
. His compatriots accepted his self-presentation as Indian and generally praised his conduct. He was wounded first in January 1916 and then again on April 24, 1916, with a shot through the foot. When the wounded limb developed
gangreneGangrene is a complication of necrosis or cell death characterized by the decay of body tissues, which become black and malodorous. It is caused by infection or ischemia, such as from thrombosis. It is usually the result of critically insufficient blood supply and is often associated with...
, Grey Owl was shipped to England for treatment.
While doctors tried to heal his foot, they moved Grey Owl from one British
infirmaryA hospital is an institution for health care providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment, and often but not always providing for longer-term patient stays....
to another for a full year. He met again and briefly married a childhood friend, Constance (Ivy) Holmes, but their marriage failed. Ivy didn't know that Archie was still married to Angele in Canada. Grey Owl was shipped back to Canada in September 1917 and honourably discharged on November 30 with a
disability pensionA disability pension is a form of pension given to those people who are permanently or temporarily unable to work due to a disability.- North America :An example of a disability pension is the Canada Pension Plan...
.
Career
In 1925, Grey Owl met the
MohawkMohawk" are an indigenous people of North America originally from the Mohawk Valley in upstate New York to southern Quebec and eastern Ontario. Their current settlements include areas around Lake Ontario and the St Lawrence River in Canada...
IroquoisThe Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an indigenous people of North America. In the 16th century or earlier, the Iroquois came together in an association known as the Iroquois League, or the "League of Peace and Power"...
woman Gertrude Bernard, who was very influential in his life. She encouraged him to stop trapping. (Later he called her
AnahareoAnahareo, CM was the Iroquois wife of Grey Owl, born Archibald Belaney, a writer and one of Canada's first conservationists.- Biography :...
and they married.) Through her influence, he began to think more deeply about conservation. She encouraged him to publish his writings about wilderness life.
Grey Owl's writings attracted the attention of the Dominion Parks Service, and he went to work for them as a
naturalistNatural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards the observational than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research that is published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, Natural history is the systematic...
. In 1928, the National Parks Service made a film,
Beaver People, showing Grey Owl and
Anahareo, and showing their playing with pet beavers Jellyroll and Rawhide. In 1931, Grey Owl and Anahareo moved briefly with their beavers to a cabin in
Riding Mountain National ParkRiding Mountain National Park is a national park in Manitoba, Canada. The park sits atop the highest part of the Manitoba Escarpment. Consisting of a protected area , the forested parkland stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding prairie farmland. The park is home to wolves, moose, elk, black...
. Next year, they moved to near
Ajawaan LakeAjawaan Lake is a lake in the northern boreal forest portion of Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan, 700 metres from the north end of Kingsmere Lake via a wide portage trail. It is known mainly as the home of Grey Owl, famed naturalist, from 1932 to 1938...
in
Prince Albert National ParkPrince Albert National Park covers 3,874 km² in central Saskatchewan, Canada and is located 200 kilometres north of Saskatoon...
. They had a daughter, Shirley Dawn (August 23, 1932 - June 3, 1984).
In his articles, books, and films, Grey Owl promoted the ideas of
environmentalismEnvironmentalism is a broad philosophy and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the state of the environment...
and nature conservation. In the 1930s, he wrote many articles for the Canadian Forestry Association (CFA) publication
Forests and Outdoors, including the following:
His article, "A Description of the Fall Activities of Beaver, with some remarks on Conservation", was included in Harper Cory's book
Grey Owl and the Beaver (London: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, 1935).
In 1935 and 1937, Grey Owl successfully toured England (including Hastings) in Ojibwa costume to promote his books and lecture about conservation. His aunts recognized him but remained silent about his origins until 1937. In his later tour, Grey Owl visited the Court, where he met princesses
ElizabethElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
and
MargaretThe Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II....
.
During a tour of Canada, Grey Owl met a
French CanadianFrench Canadian refers to a nation or ethnic group of French descent that originated in Canada during the period of French colonization beginning in the 17th century. They constitute the main French-speaking population of Canada...
woman called Yvonne Perrier. In November 1936 they married.
The tours fatigued him badly. In April 1938, he returned to Beaver Lodge, his cabin at Ajawaan Lake. Five days later he was found unconscious on the floor of Beaver Lodge. He died of
pneumoniaPneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the lung. Frequently, it is described as lung parenchyma/alveolar inflammation and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid ....
in a
Prince AlbertPrince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks along the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan...
hospital on April 13, 1938. He was buried near his cabin.
Exposure
Doubts about Grey Owl's First Nations identity arose after his death. The
North Bay NuggetThe North Bay Nugget is a daily newspaper in North Bay, Ontario, Canada staffed by Ryerson University drop outs and far too much wire copy.-External links:* *...
newspaper ran the first exposé, followed up by international news organisations, such as
The TimesThe Times is a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register....
. His publisher Lovat Dickson tried to prove Belaney's chosen identity, but unfortunately had to admit that his friend had lied to him. "Grey Owl" had been an invention.
The consequences of the revelation were dramatic. Publishers immediately ceased producing the
Grey Owl books. In some cases his books were withdrawn from publication. This in turn affected the conservation causes with which Belaney had been associated, resulting in a decrease in donations to them.
Similar stories involving an individual assuming a Native North American identity, establishing notability and then later being revealed as not who they claimed to be include: Forrest Carter,
Chief Buffalo Child Long LanceChief Buffalo Child Long Lance , born Sylvester Clark Long, was an American journalist, writer and actor from Winston-Salem, North Carolina who became internationally prominent as a spokesman for Indian causes...
, and
NasdijjNasdijj is the pen name used by author Timothy Patrick Barrus for three memoirs of Native American experience published between 2000 and 2004....
.
Posthumous recognition
Numerous books about Grey Owl have been published, including:
- Half-Breed: The Story of Grey Owl by Lovat Dickson (1939
The year 1939 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*December 25 - A Christmas Carol is read before a radio audience for the first time.*Frank Herbert lies about his age to get his first job as a local newspaper reporter....
)
- My Life with Grey Owl by Anahareo (1940
The year 1940 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Aldous Huxley is a screenwriter for the movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.*Jean-Paul Sartre is taken prisoner by the Germans....
)
- Devil in Deerskins: My Life with Grey Owl by Anahareo (1972
The year 1972 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Fiction:*Richard Adams - Watership Down*Jorge Amado - Teresa Batista Cansada da Guerra *Martin Amis - The Rachel Papers...
) published in the UK as Grey Owl and I: A New Autobiography by Anahareo (1972The year 1972 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Fiction:*Richard Adams - Watership Down*Jorge Amado - Teresa Batista Cansada da Guerra *Martin Amis - The Rachel Papers...
)
- Wilderness Man: The Strange Story of Grey Owl by Lovat Dickson (1974
The year 1974 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics is founded by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman.-New books:*Richard Adams - Shardik*Kingsley Amis - Ending Up...
)
- From the Land of Shadows: the Making of Grey Owl by Donald B. Smith (1990
The year 1990 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*J. K. Rowling gets the idea for Harry Potter while on a train ride from Manchester to London. She says "I was staring out the window, and the idea for Harry just came. He appeared in my mind's eye, very fully formed...
)
In
1999The year 1999 in film involved some significant events and was arguably the most successful year for films released in the 1990s. Several new feature films, including Star Wars Episode I, The Sixth Sense, The Green Mile, new sequel Toy Story 2, first of The Matrix, Disney's animated Tarzan,...
, the film
Grey OwlGrey Owl is a 2000 biopic directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Pierce Brosnan as conservationist Grey Owl. The screenplay was written by William Nicholson. It was shot in the English city Hastings, Quebec's cities Chelsea and Wakefield, and Saskatchewan's Prince Albert National...
premiered, directed by
Richard AttenboroughRichard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, CBE is an English actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur. Attenborough has won two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes...
and starring
Pierce BrosnanPierce Brendan Brosnan is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist, who holds both Irish and American citizenship. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
in the
title roleThe title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in Aida, Giselle, Michael Collins or Othello. The actor, singer or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the title role....
. The film received mixed reviews and received no theatrical release in the United States.
Attenborough and his brother David had seen Grey Owl at the
London PalladiumThe London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster.Ian Dury and Cass Elliot played their last shows at the Palladium.-Building:...
theatre as teenagers.
David AttenboroughSir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS is a broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the respected face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
later became a naturalist. In a 1999 interview, Richard Attenborough mentioned that they were both very affected by seeing Grey Owl, perhaps to the point of influencing their future career paths.
On the 100th anniversary of Grey Owl's birth, the Grey Owl Society of Hastings arranged planting of a Canadian
red mapleAcer rubrum , is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern North America. It ranges from the Lake of the Woods on the border between Ontario and Minnesota, east to Newfoundland, south to near Miami, Florida, and southwest to east Texas...
tree in his honor in the grounds of the William Parker School, the successor to the Hastings Grammar School. In June 1997, the mayor of Hastings and the borough's
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
(
Michael FosterMichael Jabez Foster is a British politician. He is the Labour Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye and the Minister for Equalities, responsible for the progress of the Government's Equalities Bill through the House of Commons, a role he has held since June 2009.-Early life:Michael Foster...
) unveiled a plaque in his honor on the house at 32 St. James Road where he was born. The ranger station at
Hastings Country ParkHastings Country Park was formed in 1974 and covers east of Hastings in England. Sandstone cliffs, glens covered with gorse and trees, footpaths, nature trails, picnic areas and ample car parking are some of the features at the country park...
, 4 miles to the east of Hastings, also has a
commemorative plaqueA commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event....
to Grey Owl. A full-size replica of his Canadian lakeside cabin is in
Hastings MuseumHastings Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery located in, Hastings, East Sussex, England.The museum collection contains drawings by the famous architect James Burton; exhibits relating to John Logie Baird, the inventor of television; paintings by Robert Tressell; exhibits on Native...
at Summerfields. An exhibition of memorabilia and a commemorative plaque are at the house at 36 St. Marys Terrace where he lived with his grandmother and aunts.
In September 2004, hip-hop activist Raoul Juneja (aka Deejay Ra) launched a 'Grey Owl' Birthday Recognition Campaign. He incorporated Grey Owl titles into his 'Hip-Hop Literacy' project and campaigned on Canadian community TV for national recognition of Grey Owl's birthday. He was the first author to teach Native rights at
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
. In 2005, the birthday recognition campaign led to
Key Porter BooksKey Porter Books is a Canadian book publishing company. Founded in 1979 by Canadian publisher Anna Porter, the company specializes in Canadian non-fiction, although it has published some fiction titles as well....
re-publishing Grey Owl's classic
Tales from an Empty Cabin. It also inspired a
BookTVBook TV, premiere September 12, 1998, is the collective name for weekend programming about upcoming and established authors broadcast on C-SPAN2. On most weekends, that channel transitions from its usual public-affairs programming on Friday night, and remains as Book TV until the following Monday...
special that featured Deejay Ra and Lord Attenborough discussing Grey Owl's legacy.
Grey Owl's books
- The Men of the Last Frontier. London: Country Life, 1931.
- Pilgrims of the Wild. London: Lovat Dickson Ltd., 1934.
- The Adventures of Sajo and her Beaver People. London: Lovat Dickson Ltd., 1935.
- Tales of an Empty Cabin. London: Lovat Dickson Ltd., 1936.
A long story from
Tales of an Empty Cabin was published separately in 1937 as a small volume:
- The Tree. London: Lovat Dickson Ltd., 1937.
Collected editions
Grey Owl's first three books,
The Men of the Last Frontier,
Pilgrims of the Wild and
Sajo and her Beaver People have been collected and reprinted as
Grey Owl: Three Complete and Unabridged Canadian Classics (2001: ISBN 1-55209-590-8). Excerpts from all four of his books were collected in
The Book of Grey Owl: Selected Wildlife Stories (1938; 1989 reprint: ISBN 0-7715-9293-0).
Translations
- Ludzie Z Ostatniej Granicy. Translation by Aleksander Dobrot. Warsaw (Poland): Wydawnictwo J. Przeworskiego, 1939.
- Ambassadeur des bêtes. Translation by Simonne Ratel. Paris : Hatier-Boivin, 1956?. (Translation of the second part of: Tales of an Empty Cabin.)
- Récits de la cabane abandonnée. Translation by Jeanne-Roche-Mazon. Paris : Éditions contemporaines, 1951. (Translation of the first part of: Tales of an Empty Cabin.)
- Sajo et ses castors. Translated from the English by Charlotte and Marie-Louise Pressoir; illustrations by Pierre Le Guen. Paris : Société nouvelle des éditions G.P., 1963. (Translation of: The Adventures of Sajo and Her Beaver People.)
- Pilgrims of the Wild. Éd. ordinaire. Translation by Jeanne Roche-Mazon. Paris : Éditions contemporaines, 1951.
- Саджо и её бобры. Перевод с английского Аллы Макаровой. Предисловие Михаила Пришвина. Москва: Детгиз, 1958.
- Рассказы опустевшей хижины. Перевод и предисловие Аллы Макаровой. Художник Б.Жутовский. Москва: Молодая гвардия, 1974.
- Cаджо та її бобри. Переклад з англійської Соломії Павличко., Київ: «Веселка», 1986
Additional reading
- Anahareo. Devil in Deerskins: My Life with Grey Owl. Toronto: Paperjacks, 1972.
- Attenborough, Richard, dir. Grey Owl. Screenplay by William Nicholson. Largo Entertainment, 1999.
- Atwood, Margaret. "The Grey Owl Syndrome", Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature. Oxford: Clarendon, 1995. 35-61.
- Ruffo, Armand Garnet, Grey Owl: The Mystery of Archie Belaney (1996)
External links and sources