Stands Before His People: Enmegahbowh and the Ojibwe

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.

Stephen Schaitberger first encountered stories of Enmegahbowh as a youth at Cass Lake Episcopal Camp on the Leech Lake Reservation. In 1980 Schaitberger became the rector of St. Paul's Church in Brainerd, Minnesota, the same area where Enmegahbowh began his own ministry. Schaitberger served for over twenty years as a chaplain in the Minnesota National Guard and for ten years on the diocesan staff as a canon missioner for Northern Minnesota. He is a professed member of the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis. Now retired, he splits his time between Minnesota and Arizona.