Jones, Peter, 1802-1856

Peter Jones (January 1, 1802 – June 29, 1856) was an Ojibwe Methodist minister, translator, chief and author from Burlington Heights, Upper Canada. His Ojibwa name was Kahkewāquonāby (Gakiiwegwanebi in the Fiero spelling), which means "[Sacred] Waving Feathers". In Mohawk, he was called Desagondensta, meaning "he stands people on their feet". In his youth his band of Mississaugas had been on the verge of destruction. As a preacher and a chieftain, as a role model and as a liaison to governments, his leadership helped his people survive contact with Europeans.

Jones was raised by his mother Tuhbenahneequay in the traditional culture and religion of the Mississauga Ojibwas until the age of 14.[1] After that, he went to live with his father Augustus Jones, a Welsh-born United Empire Loyalist. There he learnt the customs and language of the white Christian settlers of Upper Canada and was taught how to farm. Jones converted to Methodism at age 21 after attending a camp-meeting with his half sister. Methodist leaders in Upper Canada recognised his potential as a bridge between the white and Indian communities and recruited him as a preacher. As a bilingual and bicultural preacher, he enabled the Methodists to make significant inroads with the Mississaugas and Iroquois of Upper Canada, both by translating hymns and biblical texts in Ojibwe and Mohawk and by preaching to Indians who did not understand English. Beyond his preaching to the Indians of Upper Canada, he was an excellent fundraiser for the Canadian Methodists, and toured the United States and Great Britain giving sermons and speeches. Jones drew audiences of thousands, filling many of the buildings he spoke in, but came to resent the role, believing the audiences came to see Kahkewāquonāby, the exotic Indian, not Peter Jones, the good Christian he had worked so hard to become.

Jones was also a political leader. In 1825, he wrote to the Indian Department; his letter was the first the department had ever received from an Indian. This brought him into contact with Superintendent of the Indian Department James Givins and influential Bishop John Strachan, with whom he arranged the funding and support of the Credit Mission. There he lived and worked as a preacher and community leader, leading the conversion of Mississaugas to a European lifestyle of agriculture and Christianity, which enabled them to compete with the white settlers of Upper Canada. He was elected a chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit Mission in 1829 and acted as a spokesman for the band when petitioning the colonial government and its departments. During his British tours, he had audiences with King William IV and Queen Victoria, directly petitioning the latter on the issue of title deeds for the Mississaugas of Upper Canada. During his life, Jones did manage to obtain some concessions from various provincial governments, such as having control over the trust funds for the Mississaugas of Credit turned over to their chiefs, but he was never able to secure title deeds for the Credit settlement. In 1847, Jones led the band to relocate to New Credit on land donated by the Six Nations, who were able to furnish the Mississaugas with title deeds. The Mississaugas of New Credit have since been able to retain title to the land, where they remain. Jones' health had been declining for several years before the move to New Credit, and he was unable to accompany them to an unconstructed settlement, retiring to a nearby estate outside of Brantford, Canada West, where he died in the summer of 1856.

Peter Jones (1802–1856) known in Ojibwa as Kahkewaquonaby, meaning “sacred feathers’ or “sacred waving feathers”; also known as Desagondensta, in Mohawk, signifying “he stands people on their feet” was a Mississauga Ojibwa chief, a member of the eagle totem, a farmer, a Methodist minister, an author, and a translator. He was born at Burlington Heights (Hamilton), Upper Canada, the son of Augustus Jones and Tuhbenahneequay.

He married Eliza Field in 1833, and they had five sons, four of whom survived infancy. He died near Brantford, Upper Canada.

Jones lived among the Mississauga people, then among the Mohawk on the Grand River. At the age of fourteen his father sent him to school in Saltfleet township, where he became known as Peter Jones. He was baptized at the age of eighteen, but by his own account, not converted until 1823. He taught Sunday School and preached occasionally. In 1825 he was invited by William Case to work as a Methodist, and was asked to keep a journal of his travels. He became the first Canadian native to keep a journal, the first native missionary to be appointed to serve the Ojibwa and, with his brother John, the first translator of Biblical literature into such native tongues as Ojibwa and Chippewa. He was responsible for the establishment of a native mission on the Credit River in 1825. He was received on trial for ministry in 1827, became a deacon in 1830, and an elder in 1833. He was elected chief of two Ojibwa bands. In 1831, Jones traveled to England on behalf of the Methodist Conference to raise funds for Indian missions, and also to represent native causes to British authorities. He preached in Methodist churches throughout Britain, arranged to have translations of the New Testament published, and was presented to King William IV. He was received by Queen Victoria in 1837 and delivered a petition from the Ojibwa requesting the title to Indian lands. In 1844 he was compelled to accept supernumerary status due to poor health. He continued to travel in Britain and France gathering funds for Indian missions. He also worked among the native people at Muncey and New Credit. After 1850 he was forced to retire due to his health. He built a home in Brantford with his wife, where he lived until his death. Eliza Jones later married again and was known as Eliza Carey.

Jones’ publications include: Removal of the River Credit Indians, an article in the Christian Guardian, concerning the relocation of his tribe (1848), The sermon and Speeches of the Rev. Peter Jones, alias, Kah-ke-wa-quon-a-by, the Converted Indian Chief, delivered on the occasion of the eighteenth anniversary of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, for the Leeds District (1831). His translations include: The First Book of Moses, called Genesis (1835) and A Collection of Chippeway and English hymns, for the use of the native Indians (1840). His Life and Journals of Kah-ke-wa-quo-na-by (Rev. Peter Jones), Wesleyan Missionary (1860), and History of the Ojibway Indians: with especial reference to their conversion to Christianity (1861, editor: Eliza Jones) were published posthumously.

Source: Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. VIII, 1851 to 1860 / Francess G. Halpenny. - / Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985