On Thursday February 12, the speaker was John Steckley sharing his knowledge about the Wendat people and other Indigenous cultures.
John is a Canadian scholar specializing in Native American studies and the indigenous languages of the Americas. He attended York University, Memorial University and received a Ph. D in education from the University of Toronto, working at Humber College in Toronto from 1983-2015.
John shared with us his own personal journey regarding his involvement with the Wendat people and their culture and educated us about them.
- The word Wendat means “island”.
- Corn was very important to the Wendat people. This crop was planted, harvested and stored by the female members of the group and was so important that it was woven into the names of some of the members.
- Some members of the Wendat tribes served in the two World Wars, doing this because of their love and commitment to their country.
- The Wyandot tribes lived in Canada, but eventually one of the Wendat tribes moved to the United States.
- John shared with us that many Canadian names have Indigenous origins such as Canada, Toronto, Ottawa, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are just a few examples.
- In 2025, John was asked to interview the Chippewas of Georgina Island. He learned much about their historical survival over the centuries.
- John has studied the Wyandot language for over thirty years and is considered an expert re speaking their language and the history of their culture.
John has published 29 books, most of them about the Wendat language and people and one about the Inuit, entitled ” White Lies About the Inuit“. The book refers to the myths about the Inuit. In 2024, he published “Sophia B. Jones: The First Canadian Black Woman to Become a Doctor”. She had to leave her home in Chatham to earn her degree in medicine from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1885. Her practice was in the United States.
The presentation was very interesting and clearly showed John’s passion for indigenous languages.
Submitted by Larry O’Donnell