Gibson, Simeon, 1889-1943

Simeon Gibson was a farmer and translator whose knowledge of the history, language, customs, and traditions of Indigenous Peoples of the Six Nations of the Grand River (Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca, and Tuscarora) informed and contributed to numerous anthropological and ethnographic studies and publications.

Simeon Gibson was born on August 1, 1889 to John Arthur Gibson (1849 or 1850-1912), a Seneca Nation Chief, and Mary Skye, of Cayuga heritage. He spoke numerous languages including Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Mohawk, Tuscarora, and English. Simeon and his brother John Hardy Gibson both worked with ethnologists who travelled to the Six Nations area to do research and fieldwork. Simeon worked directly with William N. Fenton, J.N.B. Hewitt, and Alexander Goldenweiser, among others, doing fieldwork and translating texts, including his father’s stories. Periodically, he was also commissioned to obtain Indigenous objects and artifacts for museums in Canada and the United States.

Gibson married twice and had at least five children. He served in the Canadian Army during World War I. Gibson died in December 1943, most likely due to drowning.