Letterbook of Charles A. Cooke [textual record] (1 digital object(s)) Archives / Collections and Fonds
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Letterbook of Charles A. Cooke [textual record]
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Finding aid (Electronic) Finding aid 10-1 is a computer generated volume list. 10-1 -
Record information Letterbook of Charles A. Cooke [textual record]
Date:1896, 1900-1901.Reference:R216-704-3-E, RG10-B-8-pType of material:Textual materialFound in:Archives / Collections and FondsItem ID number:159693Date(s):1896, 1900-1901.Bilingual equivalent:Place of creation:OntarioExtent:0.05 m of textual recordsLanguage of material:EnglishAdded language of material:English, MohawkScope and content:Series consists of a letterbook containing, primarily, out-going correspondence of Charles A. Cooke Thawennensere. Included are copies of letters, October-November 1900, relating to the publication by Cooke of Onkweonwe, a newspaper in Kanien'kéha (the Mohawk language). Some of the letters are written in Kanien'kéha. There is a gap in the pagination of the letterbook after page 48. Correspondence resumes at page 70 with a short series of letters by Cooke related to timber sales on the Wahta Mohawk Territory (formerly Gibson Reserve), October 1901. Four pages at the end of the letterbook contain totally unrelated material, being copies of three letters of Indian Agent P. J. Williams, Battleford Agency, 1896. There is no obvious explanation for the appearance of these last items in this letterbook.Additional name(s):Biography/Administrative history:Cooke, Charles Angus, 1870-1958 : Charles Angus Cooke (also known as Thawennensere) (23 March 1870-1958) was a Mohawk from Kanesatake (Oka, Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes). He studied at the Methodist school of Oka, and then worked on the family farm until his family moved to Gibson (Wahta Mohawk Territory) in the Muskoka region, Ontario in 1881.
He was one of the first Indigenous persons to be hired by the federal Department of Indian Affairs. He was first appointed to the Civil Service on 1 April 1893 as a temporary clerk in the Registry Branch of the Department of Indian Affairs. From 1893 to 1926, he served as a library clerk in charge of the departmental library and archives. By the end of his career, he attained the position of Principal Clerk. He also served as a interpreter and translator. During the First World War, he actively recruited Indigenous people for the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
Starting from 1904, Cooke invested substantial efforts to build an "Indian National Library" which would have included departmental documents as well as documentation from First Nations communities. Superintendant of Indian Affairs Duncan Campbell Scott never believed in the usefulness of Cooke's project, so it never materialized.
Cooke also worked on a comparative Haudenosaunee languages dictionnary project. He published "Onkweonwe" the first Indigenous newspaper to be published in Canada in 1900, which was published in Kanien'kéha (Mohawk language). He also compiled a monumental record of some 6200 Haudenosaunee (Iroquoian) names with their origin, meanings and pronunciation.
Williams, P. J : Indian Agent from the Battleford Agency.Additional information:Source of title:Title is based on the contents of the series.Note on the state of conservation:Some of the correspondence is illegible due to heavily faded ink or ink that has bled onto neighbouring pages.Availability of other formats note:A reference copy of volume 1307 is available on microfilm reel C-13907.Accruals:No further accruals are expected.Related material:For other records created by Charles Angus Cooke (also known as Thawennensere), please consult his fonds in our collection (R13794).Container note(s):C-13907 : microfilm copies Copy No. 1
C-13907 : microfilm copies Copy No. 2
C-13907 : microfilm copies Copy No. 3
C-13907 : microfilm copies Copy No. 4
C-13907 : microfilm copies Copy No. 5Source:GovernmentFormer archival reference no.:RG10-B-8-p -
Ordering and viewing options Conditions of access:Textual records[Consultation Open]Volume [RG10] 1307[Consultation Open]Microfilm reel [RG10] C-13907[Consultation Open]Terms of use:Copyright belongs to the Crown. In order to protect the fragile originals, the microfilm copies or digitized copy of these records must be consulted rather than the originals.You can order materials in advance to be ready for you when you visit. You will need a user card to do this.
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