Grey Owl
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Archibald Stansfeld Belaney (; September 18, 1888 – April 13, 1938), commonly known as Grey Owl, was a British-born conservationist,
fur trapper Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanke ...
, and writer who disguised himself as a Native American man. While he achieved fame as a conservationist during his life, after his death, the revelation that he was not
Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
, along with other autobiographical fabrications, negatively affected his reputation. Belaney rose to prominence as a notable author and lecturer, primarily on environmental issues. In working with the National Parks Branch, Grey Owl became the subject of many films, and was established as the "'caretaker of park animals' at
Riding Mountain National Park Riding Mountain National Park is a national park in Manitoba, Canada. The park is located within Treaty 2 Territory and sits atop the Manitoba Escarpment. Consisting of a protected area , the forested parkland stands in sharp contrast to the su ...
in Manitoba" in 1931. Together with his numerous articles, books, films and lectures, his views on conservation reached audiences beyond the borders of Canada. His conservation views largely focused on humans' negative impact on nature through their commodification of nature's resources for profits, and a need for humans to develop a respect for the natural world. Recognition of Belaney has included biographies, a historic plaque at his birthplace, and a 1999 biopic about his life by the director
Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisi ...
.


Early life

Archibald Stansfeld Belaney was born in September 1888, in
Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
,
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the Englis ...
, England. Born to George Belaney and his wife Katherine "Kittie" Cox, he was mostly of English descent on both sides; his paternal grandfather had come from Scotland and married in England. Kittie was his father's second wife. Years before Archie's birth, George Belaney had emigrated to the United States with his then-wife Elizabeth Cox and her younger sister, Kittie. After Elizabeth's early death, George persuaded Kittie, not yet 20, to marry him, a marriage that would have been illegal back home because it was prior to the
Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907 The Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907 ( 7 Edw.7 c.47) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, allowing a man to marry his dead wife's sister, which had previously been forbidden. This prohibition had derived from a doctrine ...
. Within the year they returned to Britain in time for the birth of their son Archie. The family lived together near Hastings until Kittie became pregnant for a second time. George and Kittie Belaney left to return to the United States, where he abandoned her. Archie remained in England in the care of his father's mother Juliana Belaney and his father's two younger sisters, Julia Caroline Belaney and Janet Adelaide Belaney, who the boy would know as Aunt Carry and Aunt Ada. Kittie visited him a few times. Belaney later told his publisher his father was Scottish. The Belaney name does have roots in Scotland. One of his biographers documented that Archie's paternal grandfather had moved from Scotland to England, where he became a successful merchant. Belaney attended
Hastings Grammar School Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
, where he excelled in subjects such as English, French and chemistry. While outside school, he spent much time reading, or exploring St Helen's Wood near his home. As a boy, Belaney was known for pranks, such as using his
grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
chemistry to make small bombs. He called them "Belaney Bombs". Fascinated by Native Americans, Belaney read about them and drew them in the margins of his books. Belaney left Hastings Grammar School and started work as a clerk with a timber company located behind St Helen's Wood. There Belaney and his friend George McCormick perfected the arts of knife throwing and marksmanship. Belaney turned his creativity to pursuits other than work. His last event there was lowering fireworks down the chimney of the timber company's office. The fireworks exploded and nearly destroyed the building. After the timber yard fired him, Belaney's aunts let him move to Canada, where he sought adventure.


Immigration to Canada

On March 29, 1906, Belaney boarded SS ''Canada'' and sailed from
Liverpool, England Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
for
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. Th ...
. He emigrated ostensibly to study agriculture. After a brief time in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, he moved to
Temagami Temagami, formerly spelled as Timagami, is a municipality in northeastern Ontario, Canada, in the Nipissing District with Lake Temagami at its heart. The Temagami region is known as ''n'Daki Menan'', the homeland of the area's First Nations c ...
(''Tema-Augama''), Northern
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, where he worked as a
fur trapper Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanke ...
, a wilderness guide at Keewaydin camp, and a
forest ranger A ranger, park ranger, park warden, or forest ranger is a law enforcement person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Description "Parks" may be broadly defined by some systems in thi ...
. He then fabricated a Native American identity, though he varied the details of his new parentage, at times telling people that he was the child of a Scottish father and
Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...
mother, and to have emigrated from the U.S. to join the
Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
in Canada.


Trapping

Belaney went to
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
to earn money in the retail industry with aims of travelling farther north. Before heading to
Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Pro ...
to stay with the Guppy family in
Lake Timiskaming Lake Timiskaming or Lake Temiskaming (french: Lac Témiscamingue) is a large freshwater lake on the provincial boundary between Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The lake, which forms part of the Ottawa River, is in length and covers an area of ...
, Belaney was keen to become a guide and continued to educate himself in nature. Before becoming a trapper, Belaney sought first-hand experience to learn the basic skills of a woodsman and apprenticed himself to Bill Guppy, who taught Belaney how to use snow-shoes and the basics of trapping, including how to place several types of trap. Following the Guppy family, he moved to
Lake Temagami Lake Temagami, formerly spelled as Lake Timagami, is a lake in Nipissing District in northeastern Ontario, Canada, situated approximately 80 km north of North Bay. The lake's name comes from ''dimii-agamiing'' "tih-MEE-uh-guh-MEENG", which m ...
(Tema-Augama), Northern Ontario, where he worked as a chore boy at the Temagami Inn. For two years, Belaney worked as a chore boy and also made a trip back to Britain. Upon his return to Lake Temagami, Belaney's fascination with the
Anishinaabe The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawa ...
people increased. Belaney set about studying their language and lore while conducting a relationship with
Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
co-worker Angele Egwuna. Egwuna furthered Belaney's knowledge of trapping and fish nets, and also provided access to a network of Ojibwe people. Belaney claims he passionately embraced the cause of the
Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
, and that in turn the Ojibwe treated Belaney as one of their own. In 1909, Belaney spent a winter with the Ojibwa trappers, and said he had been adopted as an Ojibwa trapper. In Donald B. Smith's ''From the Land of Shadows'', it is said that Belaney's greatest lesson was the fragility of the environmental ecosystem, which was influential in forming his conservationist views. On August 23, 1910, he and Angele Egwuna married.


In the armed forces

Belaney enlisted with the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force (CEF) on May 6, 1915 during the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. His Regimental number with the CEF was 415259. On his attestation papers, he claimed to be born in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
on September 18, 1888, and listed no next of kin. When asked about his marital status, it appears some confusion may have occurred; the word 'yes' was written and then crossed out, then the word 'no' was written and crossed out, leaving his marital status unclear to the military at the time of enlistment. He stated his trade was a 'trapper' and that he previously served as a 'Mexican Scout' with the 28th Dragoons, although this is unclear since the U.S. was not in any significant military actions in the region (other than small operations, in which he could not have served; he would have had to serve between 1904 and 1915). Belaney joined the 13th (Montreal) Battalion of the
Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regime ...
. His unit was shipped to France, where he served as a
sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...
. His comrades accepted his self-presentation as Indian and generally praised his conduct. Belaney was wounded by a gunshot to the wrist in January 1916, and then more seriously on April 23, 1916, with a shot through the foot. When the wounded limb developed
gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the gan ...
, Belaney was shipped to Britain for treatment, and by coincidence
billeted A billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, a billet was a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier. Soldiers are generally billeted in barracks or garrisons when not on combat duty, alth ...
in a Canadian hospital in his home town of Hastings. While doctors tried to heal his foot, they moved Belaney from one British
infirmary Infirmary may refer to: *Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital *A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution *A dispensary (an office that dispenses medications) *A clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambula ...
to another for a full year. In Britain, Belaney met again with childhood friend, Florence (Ivy) Holmes, and they married. Their marriage failed in a short time, without his having told Holmes that he was still married to Angele Egwuna, whom he had abandoned but not divorced. (See Marriage ''à la façon du pays''.) Belaney was shipped back to Canada in September 1917, where he received an honourable discharge on November 30, with a disability pension.


Early conservation work and change in identity

In 1925, 37-year-old Belaney (now calling himself "Grey Owl", at least in some situations, and telling people he was Native American) met 19-year-old Gertrude Bernard (aka Anahareo, or Pony), a
Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans * Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people * Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...
Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...
teenager who was to be very influential in his life. The story they presented is that she encouraged him to stop trapping and to publish his writing about the wilderness. They had an eight-year affair. When it began, Belaney was still legally married to his first wife Angele Egwuna, and Anahareo was a teenager.''Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary'', ed. Gretchen M. Bataille & Laurie Lisa, p. 12 But Belaney and Bernard told people they had married each other anyway, with Anahareo saying that their marriage was "informal". Belaney wrote that it was Anahareo's influence that led him to think more deeply about conservation, and that she encouraged his writing and influenced him by saving and raising a pair of beaver kits. After accompanying him on a trapline, Anahareo attempted to make him see the torture that animals suffered when they were caught in traps. According to Grey Owl's ''Pilgrims of the Wild'', he hunted down a beaver home where he knew a mother beaver to be and set a trap for her.Owl, Grey. ''Pilgrims of the Wild.'' 1934. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2010, pg. 27–28. When the trap caught the mother beaver, Belaney began to canoe away to the cries of kitten beavers which greatly resemble the sound of human infants. Anahareo begged him to set the mother free, but he could not be swayed from his position because they needed the money from the beaver's pelt. The next day, he went back for the baby beavers which the couple adopted. As Albert Braz stated in his article "St. Archie of the Wild", "Indeed, primarily because of this episode, Belaney comes to believe that it is 'monstrous' to hunt such creatures and determines to 'study them' rather than 'persecuting them further. Belaney's first journal article, "The Falls of Silence", was published under the name A.S. Belaney in '' Country Life'', the English sporting and society magazine. He also published articles on animal lore as "Grey Owl" in '' Forest & Outdoors'', a publication of the
Canadian Forestry Association The Canadian Forestry Association (CFA) is Canada's oldest conservation organization. It was established on March 8, 1900 by a group of influential Canadians from government and industry, at the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa ON. The grou ...
. He became increasingly known in Canada and the United States. In 1928, the National Park Service made a film featuring Grey Owl and Anahareo, which showed them with two beavers which they had taken in as kits and raised after their mother was killed. As Grey Owl, he wrote twenty-five articles for ''Canadian Forest and Outdoors'' magazine between 1930 and 1935, published while he was in the midst of writing his first book. His first book as Grey Owl was called ''The Men of the Last Frontier'', published in 1931, and it traced the devastating story of the beaver as well as posed some very valid concerns about the future of Canada and its forests. Beaver pelts had become such a hot commodity in Canadian industry that the beaver was on the verge of extinction when Anahareo helped him understand the desperate need for protecting the animal instead of trapping it. According to Grey Owl in ''The Men of the Last Frontier'', trappers swarmed to the forests in higher numbers than ever before in 1930 because of the beaver's scarcity, and he argued that the only way to save this animal was to remove all of the trappers from the forests. This was an extremely difficult feat however because their pelts were so valuable and the job economy was so poor in the 1930s that he described their role in the economy as "beavers eingto the north what gold was to the west". Though much of his focus in his writings were on the beaver, he also believed that this animal could be used as a symbol for the disappearing future of Canadian wilderness in a broader sense. He believed that Canada's wilderness and vastly open nature was what made it unique from other countries of the world, and this was disappearing at an extremely fast rate due to consumerism and the modernist emphasis on capital. He also discussed in ''The Men of the Last Frontier'' how the Canadian government and logging industry were working together to project a false image of forest preservation in order to gain possession of Canada's forests and rid them of their resources, burn down what remained, and attempt to replant "synthetic forests" in their places. His ''The Men of the Last Frontier'' was a call of desperation for the people of Canada to awaken from their immobility and resist the destruction of their country as the forests were being turned into deserts for profit.


Work with Dominion Parks Branch

Grey Owl's relationship with
Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...
, known in the 1930s as Dominion Parks Branch, began when he published stories through the Canadian Forestry Association. His publications in Canadian Forest and Outdoors brought him into contact with Gordon Dallyn, the then editor of Canadian Forest and Outdoors, who introduced him to James Harkin, the Parks Branch Commissioner.Donald B. Smith, ''From the Land of Shadows: the Making of Grey Owl'', (Saskatoon: Western Prairie Books, 1990), 89. Sharing similar concerns over wilderness conservation, the Parks Branch agreed to make a film with Grey Owl and Jelly Roll (his pet beaver) with the goal of "provid nga living argument for conservation." W. J. Oliver, who at the time was under contract with the Parks Branch, was the prominent cameraman of the films commissioned by Parks Branch; along with filming Grey Owl, Oliver also took many pictures of him looking "consciously Indian." These photographs were used as illustrations in ''The Men of the Last Frontier'' among other works by Grey Owl and as publicity for his lecturing tours. The film received good reception from the Forestry Association. Thinking it would bring increased tourism to the national park which Grey Owl would be working at, along with serving as a platform where Grey Owl could promote his work, James Harkin offered Grey Owl a job at the
Riding Mountain National Park Riding Mountain National Park is a national park in Manitoba, Canada. The park is located within Treaty 2 Territory and sits atop the Manitoba Escarpment. Consisting of a protected area , the forested parkland stands in sharp contrast to the su ...
in early 1931. In 1931, Grey Owl and Anahareo moved briefly (with their beavers) to a cabin in Riding Mountain National Park to find a sanctuary for them. Riding Mountain National Park was found to be an unsuitable habitat for the beavers, as a summer drought resulted in the lake water level sinking, and becoming stagnant. Both the beavers and Grey Owl were unhappy with the situation, causing Grey Owl to search, with the support of the Dominion Parks Branch, for better living conditions.Lovat Dickson, "Wilderness Man: The Strange Story of Grey Owl", (Toronto: The Macmillan Company of Canada, 1973), 224. The Parks Branch suggested
Prince Albert National Park Prince Albert National Park encompasses in central Saskatchewan, Canada and is located north of Saskatoon. Though declared a national park March 24, 1927, official opening ceremonies weren't performed by Prime Minister William Lyon Macke ...
, situated 450 miles north-west of Riding Mountain National Park. Grey Owl and Anahareo found the park suitable for their needs as it was isolated, teeming with wildlife, heavily wooded, and Grey Owl had a favourable impression of the Superintendent of the Park, Major J.A. Wood. The greater sized waterway of Prince Albert National Park was found to be a more suitable beaver habitat, as the lake at Riding Mountain National Park had a risk of freezing to the bottom during winter. Grey Owl told his publisher and future biographer,
Lovat Dickson Lovat Dickson, born Horatio Henry Lovat Dickson (June 30, 1902 – January 2, 1987), was a notable publisher and writer, the first Canadian to have a major publishing role in Britain. He is best known today for his biographies of Grey Owl, Ric ...
, the following story about his origins:
He was the son of a Scottish father and
Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...
mother. He claimed his father was a man named George MacNeil, who had been a
scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, secti ...
during the 1870s
Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...
in the southwestern United States. Grey Owl said his mother was Katherine Cochise of the Apache,
Jicarilla Jicarilla Apache (, Jicarilla language: Jicarilla Dindéi), one of several loosely organized autonomous bands of the Eastern Apache, refers to the members of the Jicarilla Apache Nation currently living in New Mexico and speaking a Southern Athaba ...
band. He further said that both parents had been part of the
Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement ...
Western show that toured England. Grey Owl claimed to have been born in 1888 in Hermosillo, Mexico, while his parents were performing there.Lovat Dickson. ''Wilderness Man: The Strange Story of Grey Owl'', New York: Atheneum, 1973, p. 3
In the 1930s Grey Owl wrote many articles for the Canadian Forestry Association (CFA) publication ''Forests and Outdoors'', including the following: *''King of the Beaver People'' (January 1931) * ''A Day in a Hidden Town'' (April 1931) *''A Mess of Pottage'' (May 1931) *''The Perils of Woods Travel'' (September 1931) *''Indian Legends and Lore ''(October 1931) *''A Philosophy of the Wild'' (December 1931) His article, "A Description of the Fall Activities of Beaver, with some remarks on Conservation", was collected in Harper Cory's book ''Grey Owl and the Beaver'' (London: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, 1935). In 1935–36 and 1937–38, Grey Owl toured Canada and
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
(including Hastings) to promote his books and lecture about conservation. His popularity attracted large, interested audiences, as ''Pilgrims in the Wild'' at one point was selling 5,000 copies a month. Grey Owl appeared in traditional
Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
clothing as part of his First Nations identity. Although his aunts recognised him at his 1935 appearance in Hastings, they did not talk about his true, British origins until 1937. Between 1936 and his death he was informally visited at his base by the then Governor-General,
Lord Tweedsmuir John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. After a brief legal career ...
, an admirer of Grey Owl's writings on wildlife, an event photographed by Shuldham Redfern. During a publication tour of Canada, Grey Owl met Yvonne Perrier, a
French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...
woman. In November 1936 they married.


Alcohol use

Following his return from service in the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, Belaney's use of alcohol increased, and it was not unusual for him to appear drunk in public.Dane Lanken, "The Vision of Grey Owl," Canadian Geographic 119 (1999). On the ship back to Canada from his 1935 British tour, it was noted that he "drank heavily, ate only onions and was noticeably ill." Excessive alcohol consumption compromised Grey Owl's position with the Dominion Parks Branch in Ottawa. He was supposed to meet a group of important governmental officials at the studio of
Yousuf Karsh Yousuf Karsh, FRPS (December 23, 1908 – July 13, 2002) was a Canadian-Armenian photographer known for his portraits of notable individuals. He has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century. An Armenian ...
, who had organised a dinner in his honour. However, as the dinner began, Grey Owl was absent. Karsh later found him "raising a drunken row in the bar." This public display of a Parks Branch employee drunk in public caused James Harkin to have to defend Grey Owl's position within Parks Branch to the Assistant Deputy Minister Roy A. Gibson. His consumption of alcohol at Prince Albert National Park created more friction between himself and Parks Branch as he was seen to "indulge too freely in liquor."


Conservationist views

Initially, Grey Owl's efforts and conservation were focused towards the
beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers a ...
up North; however, with the publication of ''The Men of the Last Frontier'', his conservation efforts came to include all wild animals. While he had at one time been a
fur trapper Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanke ...
, he came to believe that "the trap, the rifle, and poison" would some day result in "the Dwellers in the forest to come to an end too." He expressed in ''Pilgrims of the Wild'' how humanity's rush to exploit natural resources for commercial value overlooks "the capabilities and possibilities of the wild creatures involved in it." It was this "commodification of all living things that was responsible for the destruction from the beaver." Grey Owl expressed that if there were "temporary at least" protection for fur bearing animals, then humanity would "see the almost human response to kindness" from animals. He called for people to remember "you belong to Nature, not it to you." ''Men of the Last Frontier'' was first called ''The Vanishing Frontier'', and subsequently named ''Men of the Last Frontier'' by the publishers, which he felt "missed the entire point of the book" as he "spoke of nature, not men." The changing of the title exemplified for him the conception of people "that man governs the powers of nature."


Death

The tours were fatiguing for Grey Owl and his years of
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
weakened him. In April 1938, he returned to Beaver Lodge, his cabin at Ajawaan Lake. Five days later, he was found unconscious on the floor of the cabin. Although taken to Prince Albert hospital for treatment, he died of
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...
on April 13, 1938. He was buried near his cabin. His first wife Angele proved her marriage and, although she had not seen him for several years, inherited most of his estate. After their deaths, Anahareo and Shirley Dawn (died June 3, 1984) in turn were buried at Ajawaan Lake.


Exposure

Doubts about Grey Owl's supposed First Nation identity had been circulating and stories were published immediately after his death. The ''
North Bay Nugget The ''North Bay Nugget'' is a newspaper published in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. The paper is currently owned by Postmedia. The paper was launched in 1907 as the ''Cobalt Nugget'', during the silver boom at Cobalt, Ontario. It was acquired by bu ...
'' newspaper ran the first exposé the day of his death, a story which they had been holding for three years. This was followed up by international news organisations, such as ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
''. His publisher Lovat Dickson tried to prove Belaney's claimed identity, but had to admit that his friend had lied to him. His popularity and support for his causes led ''The Ottawa Citizen'' to conclude, "Of course, the value of his work is not jeopardized. His attainments as a writer and naturalist will survive." This opinion was widely shared in the UK national press. While his writings showed his deep knowledge and concern about the environment, Belaney's account of his origins as "Grey Owl" was fictional. The consequences of the revelation were dramatic. Publishers immediately ceased producing his books under the name "Grey Owl". In some cases, his books were withdrawn from publication. This in turn affected the conservation causes with which Belaney had been associated, resulting in a decrease in donations.


Posthumous recognition

In 1972 the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governmen ...
(CBC) produced a documentary special on Grey Owl, directed by Nancy Ryley. In
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
, the film ''
Grey Owl Archibald Stansfeld Belaney (; September 18, 1888 – April 13, 1938), commonly known as Grey Owl, was a British-born conservationist, fur trapper, and writer who disguised himself as a Native American man. While he achieved fame as a co ...
'' was released. It was directed by
Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisi ...
and starred
Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 ('' GoldenEye'', '' Tomorro ...
. The film received mixed reviews and received no theatrical release in the United States. In June 1997, the mayor of Hastings and the borough's
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(MP) ( Michael Foster) unveiled a plaque in his honor on the house at 32 St. James Road, Hastings, East Sussex, where he was born.Grey Owl's Hastings
1066.net, accessed 19 Apr 2009
The ranger station at Hastings Country Park, 4 miles to the east of Hastings, also has a
commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...
to Grey Owl. A full-size replica of his Canadian lakeside cabin is in Hastings Museum at Summerfields. An exhibition of memorabilia and a commemorative plaque are at the house at 36 St. Mary's Terrace where he lived with his grandmother and aunts. The cabin in Riding Mountain National Park where he resided for six months in 1931 has been designated as a Federal Heritage Building and was restored in June 2019. The cabin he had built in the 1930s still stands in Prince Albert National Park and can be reached by foot (20 kilometer hike) or by canoe (a 16 km paddle).


Marriages and families

Belaney had relationships with at least five women. "Grey Owl"
''
The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...
'', accessed 4 Feb 2010
He deserted his first wife and child, later committing
bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. ...
by marrying Florence Holmes in England. He had a daughter with his first wife and another with his third, and was known to have fathered a boy as well. Women in Belaney's life: *Angele Egwuna (Anishinaabe), married August 1910. Daughter Agnes Belaney. *A
Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United State ...
woman, whose name appears to be unknown, with whom Belaney had a son. She died of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...
soon after the boy was born and he was raised by her family. *Florence (Ivy) Holmes, married in England in 1917. No children. *Gertrude Bernard (aka Anahareo) (Mohawk), eight-year affair beginning when she was only 19, started in 1925. Two daughters including Shirley Dawn, b. 1932. Separated 1936. She denied having known he was an imposter.Anahareo (Mar 28, 2014) ''Devil in Deerskins: My Life with Grey Owl''. Univ. of Manitoba Press. *Yvonne Perrier (French Canadian), "married" November 1936. No children. *Marie Girard (Gerrard, Jero) with whom he had a son.


Grey Owl books

* ''The Men of the Last Frontier'' * ''Pilgrims of the Wild'' * '' The Adventures of Sajo and her Beaver People''. London: Lovat Dickson Ltd., 1935. * ''Tales of an Empty Cabin'' A long story from ''Tales of an Empty Cabin'' was published separately in 1937 as a small volume: * ''The Tree''. London: Lovat Dickson Ltd., 1937. Two biographical tributes were published by
Lovat Dickson Lovat Dickson, born Horatio Henry Lovat Dickson (June 30, 1902 – January 2, 1987), was a notable publisher and writer, the first Canadian to have a major publishing role in Britain. He is best known today for his biographies of Grey Owl, Ric ...
: * ''The Green Leaf: A Memorial to Grey Owl'', London, 1938. * ''Half-Breed; The Story of Grey Owl'', London, 1939. Gertrude Bernard (Anahareo) wrote a memoir of her life with him: * ''Devil in Deerskins: my life with Grey Owl'', New Press, Toronto, 1972


Collected editions

Grey Owl's first three books, ''The Men of the Last Frontier'', ''Pilgrims of the Wild'' and '' Sajo and her Beaver People'', have been collected and reprinted as ''Grey Owl: Three Complete and Unabridged Canadian Classics'' (2001: ). Excerpts from all four of his books were collected in ''The Book of Grey Owl: Selected Wildlife Stories'' (1938; 1989 reprint: ).


Translations

* ''Ambassadeur des bêtes''. (''Ambassador of the Beasts'', was: Part 2 of ''Tales of an Empty Cabin'') Translation by Simonne Ratel. Paris : Hatier-Boivin, 1956 * ''Саджо и её бобры''. Перевод с английского Аллы Макаровой. Предисловие Михаила Пришвина. Москва: Детгиз, 1958 * ''Cаджо та її бобри''. Переклад з англійської Соломії Павличко., Київ: «Веселка», 1986 * ''Historia opuszczonego szałasu'' Translation by Aleksander Dobrot iktor Grosz Warsaw (Poland): Towarzystwo Wydawnicze "Rój" 1939 * ''Két kicsi hód'' (''The Adventures of Sajo and Her Beaver People''). Translated from the English by Ervin Baktay (1957); illustrations by Péter Szecskó. Hungary, Budapest : Móra Ferenc Könyvkiadó, 1957. * ''Ludzie z ostatniej granicy'' Translation by Aleksander Dobrot iktor Grosz Warsaw (Poland): Wydawnictwo J. Przeworskiego, 1939 * ''Индијанка Саџо и њени дабрићи.'' Translation by Виктор Финк. Illustrated by Михаило Писањук. Covers Ида Ћирић. Дечији Свет, Младо Поколеље, Београд (Belgrade, Serbia), 1967 * ''Oameni și animale, pelerini ai ținuturilor sălbatice''. Translation into Romanian by Viorica Vizante. Iasi, Junimea, 1974 * ''Рассказы опустевшей хижины.'' Перевод и предисловие Аллы Макаровой. Художник Б.Жутовский. Москва: Молодая гвардия, 1974 * ''Pielgrzymi Puszczy'' Translation by Aleksander Dobrot iktor Grosz Warsaw (Poland): Wydawnictwo J. Przeworskiego, 1937 * ''Pilgrims of the Wild''. Éd. ordinaire. Translation by Jeanne Roche-Mazon. Paris : Éditions contemporaines, 1951 * ''Récits de la cabane abandonnée''. (Part1 of ''Tales of an Empty Cabin'') Translation by Jeanne-Roche-Mazon. Paris : Éditions contemporaines, 1951 * ''Sajo et ses castors'' (''The Adventures of Sajo and Her Beaver People'') Translated from the English by Charlotte and Marie-Louise Pressoir; illustrations by Pierre Le Guen. Paris : Société nouvelle des éditions G.P., 1963 * ''Sajon ja hänen majavainsa seikkailut'' Translation by J.F. Ruotsalainen. WSOY Finland 1936 * ''Sejdżio i jej bobry'' Translation by Aleksander Dobrot iktor Grosz Warsaw (Poland): Wydawnictwo J. Przeworskiego, 1938 * ''Seidzo ja tema kobraste seiklused (The adventures of Sajo and her Beaver people)'' Translation into Estonian by E. Heinaste, Tallinn, 1967


See also

* Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance * Forrest Carter *
Iron Eyes Cody Iron Eyes Cody (born Espera Oscar de Corti, April 3, 1904 – January 4, 1999) was an American actor of Italian descent who portrayed Native Americans in Hollywood films, famously as ''Chief Iron Eyes'' in Bob Hope's '' The Paleface'' (1948). ...
* Manitonquat (Medicine Story) *
Nasdijj Timothy Patrick Barrus, also known as Tim Barrus (born 1950), is an American author and social worker who is best known for having published three "memoirs" between 2000 and 2004 under the pseudonym Nasdijj, by which he presented himself as a Navajo ...
*
Ward Churchill Ward LeRoy Churchill (born 1947) is an American author and political activist. He was a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1990 until 2007.
* Passing as Indigenous Americans *
Pretendian A pretendian (portmanteau of ''pretend'' and ''Indian'') is a person who has falsely claimed Indigenous identity by claiming to be a citizen of a Native American or Indigenous Canadian tribal nation, or to be descended from Native ancestors. Th ...
*
Aldo Leopold Aldo Leopold (January 11, 1887 – April 21, 1948) was an American writer, philosopher, naturalist, scientist, ecologist, forester, conservationist, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his ...
*
Two Moon Meridas Two Moon Meridas (ca. 1888 – 1933) was an American seller of herbal medicine who claimed that he was of Sioux birth. Early life and education Meridas was born Chico Colon Meridan, son of Chico Meridan and Mary Tumoon, both of whom were born ...
*
Red Thunder Cloud Red Thunder Cloud (May 30, 1919January 8, 1996), born Cromwell Ashbie Hawkins West, also known as Carlos Westez, was a singer, dancer, storyteller, and field researcher. For a time he was promoted by anthropologists as "the last fluent speaker of ...


References


Further reading

Numerous books about Belaney have been published, including: * Anahareo. ''Devil in Deerskins: My Life with Grey Owl''. Toronto: Paperjacks, 1972. * Attenborough, Richard, dir. ''Grey Owl''. Screenplay by William Nicholson. Largo Entertainment, 1999. * Atwood, Margaret. "The Grey Owl Syndrome", ''Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature''. Oxford: Clarendon, 1995. 35–61. * Dickson, Lovat. ''Wilderness Man: The Strange Story of Grey Owl''. 1974. * Smith, Donald B. ''From the Land of Shadows: the Making of Grey Owl''. 1990. * Ruffo, Armand Garnet, ''Grey Owl: The Mystery of Archie Belaney''. 1996.


External links

* * *See the silent film
''Beaver People''
(1928) an
''The Beaver Family''
(1929),
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary fi ...

"Grey Owl"
Prince Albert National Park Prince Albert National Park encompasses in central Saskatchewan, Canada and is located north of Saskatoon. Though declared a national park March 24, 1927, official opening ceremonies weren't performed by Prime Minister William Lyon Macke ...

Canadian Heroes in Fact and Fiction: Grey Owl
Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is t ...
website *
Historica Minutes TV Commercial
Canadian Heritage * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey Owl 1888 births 1938 deaths 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century English novelists 20th-century naturalists Animal trapping British emigrants to Canada Canadian Army soldiers Canadian environmentalists Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers Canadian military personnel of World War I Canadian male novelists Canadian naturalists Deaths from pneumonia in Saskatchewan English environmentalists English male novelists English naturalists Impostors People educated at Hastings Grammar School People from Hastings People from Temagami Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Race in the United States Sniper warfare Transracial activists Writers from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan