George Bonga (August 20, 1802 – 1880) was a
fur trader
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
, entrepreneur and interpreter for the U.S. government, who was of Ojibwe and Black descent, fluent in French,
Ojibwemowin
Ojibwe , also known as Ojibwa , Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algonquian la ...
and English. At the age of eighteen, he served as an interpreter for Governor
Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He wa ...
of
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroi ...
during a treaty council with 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 ...
at Fond du Lac near present-day
Duluth, Minnesota
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
. Bonga worked for the
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company (AFC) was founded in 1808, by John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant to the United States. During the 18th century, furs had become a major commodity in Europe, and North America became a major supplier. Several British c ...
from 1820 to 1839, progressing to the role of clerk or sub-trader working under head trader
William Alexander Aitken
William Alexander Aitken, also known as William Alexander Aitkin (–1851), was a fur trader with the Ojibwe in the Upper Mississippi region. He was at first affiliated with the American Fur Company, founded by John Jacob Astor, but after 18 ...
. In 1837, he was involved in the first criminal trial held in Minnesota when he tracked down and successfully apprehended Che-ga-wa-skung, an Ojibwe man who was wanted for murder, transporting him back to
Fort Snelling.
In the 1850s, Bonga worked for the
United States Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government.
Background
The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...
at
Leech Lake
Leech Lake is a lake located in north central Minnesota, United States. It is southeast of Bemidji, located mainly within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, and completely within the Chippewa National Forest. It is used as a reservoir. Th ...
, serving as interpreter and superintendent of the government farm. Later, he traded in dry goods and opened a lodge on Leech Lake with his wife. In 1867, Bonga served as an interpreter during treaty negotiations which resulted in the creation of the
White Earth Indian Reservation
The White Earth Indian Reservation ( oj, Gaa-waabaabiganikaag, "Where there is an abundance of white clay") is the home to
the White Earth Band, located in northwestern Minnesota. It is the largest Indian reservation in the state by land area. T ...
.
Baptized Catholic and educated 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- ...
, George Bonga was the son of
Pierre Bonga
Pierre Chimakadewiiash Bonga (Ojibwe: ''Makadewiiyas'', "Black-skinned"; recorded as "Mukdaweos") (c. 1770 – 1831, Minnesota) was a black trapper and interpreter for the North West Company, based in Canada near Mackinac Island. He later worked fo ...
, a Black man who worked in the fur trade, and an
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 ...
mother, Ogibwayquay, and the brother of Stephen Bonga and
Margaret Bonga Fahlstrom. George and his Ojibwe wife, Ashwewin, had four children, including William Bonga, who joined the followers of
Waabaanakwad at White Earth.
Bungo Township in
Cass County, Minnesota
Cass County is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,066. Its county seat is Walker. The county was formed in 1851, and was organized in 1897.
Cass County is included in the ...
is named after the Bonga family. George Bonga was featured in the "Black American Pioneers" exhibit at the
National Great Blacks In Wax Museum
The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum is a wax museum in Baltimore, Maryland featuring prominent African-American and other black historical figures. It was established in 1983, in a downtown storefront on Saratoga Street.
The museum is currentl ...
and was mentioned in the
United States Congressional Record
The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Inde ...
during the introduction of the National Great Blacks Commendation Act of 2003.
Family background and early life
George Bonga's father Pierre was the son of Jean and Marie-Jeannette Bonga,
enslaved people who had been brought to the fort on
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island ( ; french: Île Mackinac; oj, Mishimikinaak ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ; otw, Michilimackinac) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac an ...
by their enslaver, Captain
Daniel Robertson, a British officer who commanded it from 1782 to 1787. Robertson freed the Bonga family before his departure for Montreal, and the Bongas legally married. Bonga and his wife opened the first hotel on the island.
Pierre Bonga worked as a fur trader with the Ojibwe near Duluth. His first son Stephen Bonga, born 1799, also became a notable fur trader and translator in the region.
His daughter,
Marguerite Bonga (born c. 1797) married the first Swedish settler in Minnesota,
Jacob Fahlstrom
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ja ...
and the couple lived and worked near
Fort Snelling for a time before establishing a farm in
Afton in modern-day Minnesota.
As Pierre Bonga was a relatively successful trader, he sent George to Montreal for school. When the youth returned to the Great Lakes region, he spoke fluent English, French, as well as Ojibwe.
George was noted in what is now Minnesota for being, as his brother Stephen claimed, "One of the first two black children born in the state." Stephen also described them as "the
first white child
The birth of the first white child is a concept that marks the establishment of a European colony in the New World, especially in the historiography of the United States.
Americas
Canada
Snorri Thorfinnsson, born around 1010 in the Viking settl ...
ren" born there, as the Ojibwe classified everyone who was non-native as "white".
["Portrait of Stephen Bonga"](_blank)
Wisconsin Historical Images, accessed 23 January 2014
Career in the fur trade
George Bonga followed in his father's footsteps and entered the fur trade. He first joined the
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company (AFC) was founded in 1808, by John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant to the United States. During the 18th century, furs had become a major commodity in Europe, and North America became a major supplier. Several British c ...
as a
voyageur.
In this role, Bonga drew the attention of Territorial Governor
Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He wa ...
, who hired him as an interpreter for a treaty council with the
Ojibwe in Fond du Lac in 1820.
Years later, George Bonga's signature appeared on treaties in 1847 and 1867.
George Bonga was described as standing over tall and weighing over . Reports said that he would carry of furs and supplies at once.
Bonga had gained an education among both European and Ojibwe societies, and frequently crossed their borders. Comfortable in white and Ojibwe society, Bonga identified with both. Reportedly, Bonga called himself one of the first two "white men" in Northern Minnesota. He was speaking of his participation in 'white' culture. He criticized white men who treated Ojibwe trappers unfairly. Bonga wrote letters on behalf of the Ojibwe, complaining to the state government about individual
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government.
Background
The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of ...
s in the region. His letters, which point out both his connections to the white government and the Ojibwe, illustrate the ways that Bonga traversed cultural boundaries.
In 1837 an Ojibwe man, ''Che-ga-wa-skung'', was accused of murdering Alfred Aitkin at Red Cedar Lake (now
Cass Lake). Aitkin was the son of the fur trader William Alexander Aitken. Che-ga-wa-skung escaped from custody. Bonga trailed the man over five days and six nights during the winter, eventually catching him. He brought the suspect back to Fort Snelling for trial. In one of the first United States criminal proceedings in what was then part of Wisconsin Territory, Che-ga-wa-skung was tried and acquitted.
Che-ga-wa-skung was acquitted because Alfred Aitkin was half-Ojibwe and therefore the court decided it had no jurisdiction over the case.
Bonga was unpopular with some Ojibwe because of his role in the case, but he continued living with or near the people for the rest of his life. In 1842, he married Ashwinn, an Ojibwe woman. They had four children together.
1842 marked the effective end of the American Fur Company. With the beaver nearly extinct and European fashions changing, the fur trade that had been Bonga's livelihood had declined dramatically. In its place Bonga and his wife turned to lodge keeping. For many years, they welcomed travelers into their lodge on Leech Lake. Some travelers reported on Bonga's telling stories of early Minnesota and singing for their enjoyment. Bonga died there when he was around seventy years old.
Legacy and honors
*
Bungo Township in Cass County is named after his family. Spelling varied widely at this time.
*Playwright Carlyle Brown created a play based on Bonga's life titled ''George Bonga: Black Voyageur'' which opened in February 2016 at History Theatre in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with James A. Williams starring as Bonga.
See also
*
Territorial era of Minnesota
The territorial era of Minnesota lasted from the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to Minnesota's achieving statehood in 1858. The Minnesota Territory itself was formed only in 1849 but the area had a rich history well before this. Though there was ...
*
James Beckwourth
James Pierson Beckwourth (born Beckwith, April 26, 1798 or 1800 – October 29, 1866 or 1867), was an American mountain man, fur trader, and explorer. Beckwourth was known as "Bloody Arm" because of his skill as a fighter. He was mixed-race and b ...
Notes
Further reading
*Katz, William Loren. ''Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage.'' New York: Athaneum, 1986.
*McWatt, Arthur C. ''Crusaders for Justice: A Chronicle of Protest by Agitators, Advocates, and Activists in their Struggle for Human Rights in St. Paul, Minnesota, 1802-1985.'' Brooklyn Park: Papyrus Publishing Inc., 2009.
*
External links
*''African American Stories in Minnesota'', Nora Murphy and Mary Murphy Gnatz, Minnesota Historical Society, 2000
William Durbin, "Who Was George Bonga?" ''Young Naturalists'', Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota
"George Bonga" Twin Cities Public Television link
* Bertrand Bickersteth,
Black Fur Traders in Canada, ''
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 ...
'', March 4, 2020.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonga, George
1802 births
1880 deaths
19th-century Native Americans
African-American history of Minnesota
African-American people
American fur traders
American people of Ojibwe descent
People from Cass County, Minnesota
People of pre-statehood Minnesota
American Fur Company people