Stands Before His People: Enmegahbowh and the Ojibwe with Verne Pickering

Enmegahbowh, during the turbulent frontier days of the 1800s, worked for peace, opportunity, and cooperation among peoples.

Discover the life and legacy of Enmegahbowh, the first Ojibwe Episcopalian priest in the United States who, during the turbulent frontier days of the 1800s, worked for peace, opportunity, and cooperation among peoples.

Enmegahbowh was an extraordinary American. He spoke both Ojibwe and English, lived among the Ojibwe, endeavored as a Christian missionary, and participated in the politics of relations and treaties between the Ojibwe, the US government, and the settlers who desired land to log and farm. While Enmegahbowh’s first mission was with the Methodists, he eventually connected with Reverend J. Lloyd Breck and was made an Episcopal priest by Bishop Henry Whipple, the first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota. Importantly, Enmegahbowh left a written record of his work, a plenitude of which is presented for the first time in this book. Stands Before His People recreates the story of Enmegahbowh’s life, from about 1813 to 1901.

Author Verne Pickering began his writing career creating engineering documents for an editor who demanded the three c’s: completeness, conciseness, and clarity. The first book he published was Hatley: History of a Central Wisconsin Village, written in collaboration with his brother, Donald Pickering. Verne Pickering lives in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

Copies of Stands Before His People: Enmegahbowh and the Ojibwe by Verne Pickering and Stephen Schaitberger will be available for purchase at the program.

Attend in-person at the Washington County Heritage Center OR virtually on Zoom.