John Henry Keen
Encyclopedia
The Reverend John Henry Keen (1851–1950) was a missionary in Canada
. He translated scriptures into Haida
. Keen wrote on insects he had discovered and he had a species of mouse and bat named after him. In 1898 Keen sold a number of items to the British Museum including a model totem and an explanation of the model pole's meaning. The explanation was invaluable when the museum later bought a very similar full size totem pole which is now on display in the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court
at the museum in London.
in Ontario. He was ordained by the Bishop of Moosonee
in 1877.
From 1882 to 1889 he was in London where he was first a curate at Spitalfields
and later in Islington
. In 1890 he left again for Canada where he was based at the northern end of Graham Island
in British Columbia
. He lived at a village called Massett
where several families would share a longhouse which typically had totem poles outside (illustrated).
In Masset Keen took an interest in natural history. In 1891 he published his first paper on local beetles (Some British Columbian Coleoptera) and sent off 46 samples for identification to the British Museum
. In 1894 he first described the Northwestern Deer Mouse
which was named Keen's Mouse or Peromyscus keeni in his honour. He was also the first to scientifically described a type of brown mouse eared bat. This animal is now called Keen's Myotis
(Myotis keenii Trouessart). In 1896 he also found the first type specimen of what is now known to be a sub-species of Northern Saw-whet Owl
.
In the 1890s there were visits from the English Charles Frederick Newcombe, George Amos Dorsey
from Chicago and a Scottish guide named James Deans
. These people were travelling to gather artefacts that might be of ethnographic interest. Their methods varied, but they frequently held little regard for the native Canadians. Keen had to angrily take them to task after he travelled to confirm for himself that visitors had not only raided graves but also not restored them to there former state. Keen found hair and coffins strewn about from where they had dug to steal skulls and bones. Keen wrote to complain about the desecration and challenged Dean to name his accomplices although he was clear that the benefactor of their work was the Field Columbian Museum and that the perpetrators were Americans. George Dorsey was known for his haste in finding artefacts was told of Keen's letter to the "Daily Colonist" and he argued that Keen's anger should be ignored.
Keen had not ignored his mission and whilst in Canada he translated the Book of Common Prayer
into the local language of Haida. Keen returned on leave in 1898 and his translated prayer book was published in 1899 in London by the Missionary Society. Sadly the book went out of print as the people it was intended to be read by, were dying out. It is estimated that before the Europeans arrived there were 10,000 people who spoke Haida. By 1900 there were about 700. Keen was to go on to translate the gospels of Luke and John and the Acts from the New Testament into Haida. There were thought to be only about 30 people in 1999 who spoke the Haida language,
Keen was also preserving the culture as in 1898 the British Museum
bought a number of artefacts including a model of a house and an attached totem pole
which had been carved by John Gwaytihl. The museum also bought 44 other objects from Keen and they received a description of the story that the totem pole was intended to tell. By some coincidence the museum acquired a complete 39 foot high totem pole that differed only slightly from the model in 1903. The museum now not only has the pole but it has a description of its significance and symbols. The museum bought the pole from Charles Frederick Newcombe.
Keen returned to Canada again in 1899, but this time he was based at Metlakatla
; where he stayed until 1913.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He translated scriptures into Haida
Haida language
The Haida language is the language of the Haida people. It contains seven vowels and well over 30 consonants.-History:The first documented contact between the Haida and Europeans was in 1774, on Juan Pérez's exploratory voyage. At this time Haidas inhabited the Queen Charlotte Islands, Dall...
. Keen wrote on insects he had discovered and he had a species of mouse and bat named after him. In 1898 Keen sold a number of items to the British Museum including a model totem and an explanation of the model pole's meaning. The explanation was invaluable when the museum later bought a very similar full size totem pole which is now on display in the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court
Queen Elizabeth II Great Court
The central quadrangle of the British Museum in London was redeveloped to a design by Foster and Partners, from a 1970s design by Colin St John Wilson, to become the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, commonly referred to simply as the Great Court, during the late 1990s...
at the museum in London.
Biography
John Henry Keen was born in England on 1851 and he graduated from a Bible College in Islington in 1873 In 1874 he was sent by the Bishop of London as a missionary at Moose FortMoose Factory, Ontario
Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River, which is at the southern end of James Bay. It was the first English-speaking settlement in Ontario and the second Hudson's Bay Company post to be set up in North...
in Ontario. He was ordained by the Bishop of Moosonee
Anglican Diocese of Moosonee
The Anglican Diocese of Moosonee is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada. Now headquartered in Timmins, Ontario it was originally headquartered in Moose Factory. Its first bishop was the Right Rev. John Horden....
in 1877.
From 1882 to 1889 he was in London where he was first a curate at Spitalfields
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a former parish in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London, near to Liverpool Street station and Brick Lane. The area straddles Commercial Street and is home to many markets, including the historic Old Spitalfields Market, founded in the 17th century, Sunday...
and later in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
. In 1890 he left again for Canada where he was based at the northern end of Graham Island
Graham Island
Graham Island is the largest island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago , lying off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is separated only by a narrow channel from the other principal island of the group, Moresby Island Graham Island is the largest island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago (formerly...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. He lived at a village called Massett
Masset, British Columbia
Masset , formerly Massett, is a village in Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Columbia. It is the western terminus of the Yellowhead Highway...
where several families would share a longhouse which typically had totem poles outside (illustrated).
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. In 1894 he first described the Northwestern Deer Mouse
Northwestern Deer Mouse
The Northwestern Deer Mouse or Keen's Mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in British Columbia in Canada and in Alaska and Washington in the United States. It was named after the Rev. John Henry Keen in 1894.-References:*Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005....
which was named Keen's Mouse or Peromyscus keeni in his honour. He was also the first to scientifically described a type of brown mouse eared bat. This animal is now called Keen's Myotis
Keen's Myotis
Keen's Myotis is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found in British Columbia in Canada and in Washington and Alaska in the United States. It is named after the Rev...
(Myotis keenii Trouessart). In 1896 he also found the first type specimen of what is now known to be a sub-species of Northern Saw-whet Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
The Northern Saw-whet Owl is a small owl native to North America.-Description:The scientific description of one of the sub-species of this owl is attributed to the Rev. John Henry Keen who was a missionary in Canada in 1896. Adults are long with a wingspan. They can weigh from with an average...
.
In the 1890s there were visits from the English Charles Frederick Newcombe, George Amos Dorsey
George Amos Dorsey
George Amos Dorsey was an U.S. ethnographer of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a special focus on the Mandan tribe.Dorsey was born in Hebron, Ohio, to Edwin Jackson and Mary Emma Dorsey....
from Chicago and a Scottish guide named James Deans
James Deans
James Deans was a Scottish ethnologist, guide and collector of Victoria, BC, who published several works on the folklore and culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas....
. These people were travelling to gather artefacts that might be of ethnographic interest. Their methods varied, but they frequently held little regard for the native Canadians. Keen had to angrily take them to task after he travelled to confirm for himself that visitors had not only raided graves but also not restored them to there former state. Keen found hair and coffins strewn about from where they had dug to steal skulls and bones. Keen wrote to complain about the desecration and challenged Dean to name his accomplices although he was clear that the benefactor of their work was the Field Columbian Museum and that the perpetrators were Americans. George Dorsey was known for his haste in finding artefacts was told of Keen's letter to the "Daily Colonist" and he argued that Keen's anger should be ignored.
Keen had not ignored his mission and whilst in Canada he translated the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
into the local language of Haida. Keen returned on leave in 1898 and his translated prayer book was published in 1899 in London by the Missionary Society. Sadly the book went out of print as the people it was intended to be read by, were dying out. It is estimated that before the Europeans arrived there were 10,000 people who spoke Haida. By 1900 there were about 700. Keen was to go on to translate the gospels of Luke and John and the Acts from the New Testament into Haida. There were thought to be only about 30 people in 1999 who spoke the Haida language,
Keen was also preserving the culture as in 1898 the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
bought a number of artefacts including a model of a house and an attached totem pole
Totem pole
Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved from large trees, mostly Western Red Cedar, by cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America...
which had been carved by John Gwaytihl. The museum also bought 44 other objects from Keen and they received a description of the story that the totem pole was intended to tell. By some coincidence the museum acquired a complete 39 foot high totem pole that differed only slightly from the model in 1903. The museum now not only has the pole but it has a description of its significance and symbols. The museum bought the pole from Charles Frederick Newcombe.
Keen returned to Canada again in 1899, but this time he was based at Metlakatla
Metlakatla
Metlakatla may refer to:* Metlakatla, Alaska* Metlakatla, British Columbia...
; where he stayed until 1913.