Megan Emery holding Enmegahbowh’s bible that she restored with support from the cathedral. Photo/wangnews.net

[Lyghtel Rohrer Communications] In June of 2011, a delegation from Native American Council of Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati, Ohio, traveled to the White Earth Objiwe Nation in Becker County, Minnesota, to explore a collaborative partnership with the Tribal Council and the four Episcopal churches located on the reservation – St. Columba’s, Breck Memorial, Samuel Memorial and St. Philip’s. The visit coincided with the celebration honoring the ministry of Enmegahbowh (en-meh-GAH’-bow – “he that prays [for his people while] standing]”) at St. Columba’s Mission on Sunday, June 12. He was the first ordained Native American Episcopal priest. He died at the age of 95 on June 12, 1902. He is commemorated on June 12 on the Episcopal calendar of saints.

During the cathedral members’ visit, a leather bound bible owned by Enmegahbowh was transferred to the Native American Council for restoration. Megan Emery, a cathedral member and an associate conservator with the Cincinnati Art Museum, agreed to spearhead the work. She grew up in northern Minnesota near White Earth.

On Sunday, October 28, 2012, the cathedral dedicated and returned the bible to the people of the White Earth during a morning liturgy presided over by the Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio; the Rt. Rev. Brian N. Prior, Bishop of Minnesota, and the Rt. Rev. Stacy F. Sauls, chief operating officer of The Episcopal Church. The service included native flutes, drums and singing by members of Ojibwe Nation who joined the cathedral congregation in celebration of the dedication.

Erma Vizenor, chair of the White Earth nation, says that the restoration of Enmegahbowh’s bible speaks to the man he was and inspires the ministry people do today.

“I know about him from reading about the history, and what a man of his times he was,” she says. “He went through very trying adversity and tribulation and came forth as a good and faithful servant of God.”

As well as providing for the restoration of the bible, the council purchased a secure case for permanent display at St. Columba’s Church in White Earth, where Enmegahbowh is buried.

About Enmegahbowh

John Johnson Enmegahbowh, an Odawa (Ottawa) Indian from Canada, was raised in the Midewiwin traditional healing way of his grandfather and the Christian religion of his mother. He came into the United States as a Methodist missionary in 1832. At one point Enmegahbowh attempted to abandon missionary work and return to Canada, but the boat was turned back by storms on Lake Superior, providing him a vision: “Here Mr. Jonah came before me and said, ‘Ah, my friend Enmegahbowh, I know you. You are a fugitive. You have sinned and disobeyed God. Instead of going to the city of Nineveh, where God sent you to spread his word to the people, you started to go, and then turned aside. You are now on your way to the city of Tarsish . . . ‘”

Enmegahbowh invited James Lloyd Breck to Gull Lake, where together they founded St. Columba’s Mission in 1852. The mission was later moved to White Earth, where Enmegahbowh served until his death in 1902. Unwelcome for a time among some Ojibwa groups because he warned the community at Fort Ripley about the 1862 uprising, Enmegahbowh was consistent as a man of peace, inspiring the Waubanaquot (Chief White Cloud) mission, which obtained a lasting peace between the Ojibwa and the Dakota peoples.

Enmegahbowh was ordained deacon by Bishop Kemper in 1859 and priest by Bishop Whipple in the cathedral at Faribault in 1867. Enmegahbowh helped train many others to serve as deacons throughout northern Minnesota.

The powerful tradition of Ojibwe hymn singing is a living testimony to their ministry. His understanding of Native tradition enabled him to enculturate Christianity in the language and traditions of the Ojibwa.

He tirelessly traveled throughout Minnesota and beyond, actively participating in the development of mission strategy and policy for the Episcopal Church.

About the Bible and Restoration Process

The bible belonging to Enmegahbowh was a gift from Miss L. B. Van der Worth in January 1887.  The bible is an edition of The Illustrated Explanatory Family Bible published by John E. Potter And Company circa 1885.

The large leather bound bible includes additional texts such as the apocrypha, Brown’s complete concordance to the Holy Scriptures, a pictorial dictionary of the bible, and other documents, which is described within as “The Whole Designed to Facilitate the Study and Promote the Better Understanding of the Holy Scriptures.” The bible also contains many reproductions of steel and wood engraved illustrations and colored maps by various artists, printers, and illustrators.

Prior to conservation the bible was in fair condition, with the text block completely detached from the cover and many torn, detached pages, and missing pages particularly in the front of the book. The paper had become very brittle and weak, especially along the edges where the pages have been handled.

Conservation treatment was necessary to stabilize the bible and help preserve it for future generations. The first step in the conservation process was to thoroughly document the condition of the book with before treatment photographs and a written report. Then the text block was separated from the cover, the cover was cleaned to remove years of built up dirt and grime, and old adhesive and binding cloth was removed from the spine of the text block.

Torn pages were mended with Japanese tissue paper, a special paper made from kozo fibers and wheat starch paste. Losses were filled with a slightly heavier Japanese paper that more closely matched the weight of the books pages. While visible, tears and losses were repaired in a manner as to not visually distract the viewer and to allow for the legibly of text adjacent to repairs. Loose pages were reattached within the text block. (Groups of pages [signatures] were sewed back onto the text block with cotton string and individual pages were adhered in place with a stable adhesive.

The last step was to reattach the text block within the cover. New end pages were added to help protect the first few pages of the bible. The spine was reinforced with a loosely woven cotton bookbinder’s cloth and a linen book cloth, similar in color and texture to the original was used to secure the book to the cover. Loose newspaper clippings and other items found tucked between the pages of the bible were encapsulated within a stable plastic sheet. They can now be viewed and handled without worry of causing damage.

About the Native American Council of Christ Church Cathedral

The ministries of Christ Church Cathedral have long included service to Native Americans. This was due in part to the bequest of Nina F. Lansley, which established the cathedral’s Lansley Native American Endowment and Mission Fund in the early 1980s. But it can also be said that this ministry is rooted in deep respect and love that so many cathedral members have for their Native American brothers and sisters. In 2010, a Native American working group defined its mission and our vestry chartered the new Native American Council. The council has identified the following three goals to guide its work:

1. Provide hands-on outreach by witnessing for and building awareness of the contemporary needs, values and traditions of Native American cultures.
2. Contribute to education and theological development of leadership within Native American communities.
3. Support initiatives to empower Native American societies and ministries related to life needs, cultural sustainability and spiritual growth within Native American values.

Christ Church Cathedral is located at 318 East Fourth Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.

Megan Emery, John Grate and The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio contributed to this article.