Enmegahbowh: Peacemaker
Did you know that there are many different kinds of StoryMakers? And that StoryMakers have lived in different places and times? We like to tell the stories of those who have lived before us to remember that God is always at work, just like he has been forever. Today, we are going to hear the story of a man named Enmegahbowh, whose death we remember on June 12.
He married Biwabikogizigokwe, whose name means “Iron Sky Woman” on July 4, 1841. She was the niece of another chief and learned English so she could help her husband in his ministry.
Enmegahbowh often felt he was not smart enough because he saw many more educated people grow discouraged and quit. “If they cannot do this work, how can I?” he thought. However, after five years of preparation, at the age of 36, he was ordained to the Diaconate. Most missionaries quit working on these missions, but Enmegahbowh stayed to share the Gospel with his family and friends. In 1867, he was ordained as a priest in the Episcopal church and presided over services in both English and the Ojibwe language, Ojibwemowin.
Enmegahbowh was known as a bridge-builder and peacemaker. He was a mediator between the government and the Ojibwe people in 1862, helped negotiate peace between the Sioux and the Ojibwe in 1869, and worked to create peace between Episcopalians and Catholics in the region as well. He was well known for giving away his own belongings.
After moving from mission to mission, Enmegahbowh helped establish St. Columba Episcopal Church at White Earth in Northern Minnesota. St. Columba was the mother mission of Episcopal Native American work west of the Mississippi River. By the end of his life in 1902, the mission had established four churches, three schools, and one hospital at White Earth Reservation.
Always humble, Enmegahbowh is now credited with much of the mission work to Native Americans in Minnesota. His generosity, peace-making skills, and love for his people are part of why we study his story. But we also remember that even when we feel unequipped, uneducated, and unprepared, God is at work in and through our lives.
- Jane Grizzle
Let’s get crafty.
TOOLS NEEDED: CARDBOARD, SCISSORS, CRAYONS, TISSUE PAPER, GLUE, OR TAPE
