To the miscoded By Jane Jonston Schoolcraft (Grades 4-6)

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (1800–1842), also known as Bamewawagezhikaquay (“Woman of the Sound the Stars Make Rushing Through the Sky”), is recognized as the first known Native American literary writer. Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to an Ojibwe mother and Irish father, she bridged oral tradition and written English verse. Her poetry often celebrates Ojibwe culture, family, and the natural world. In “To the Miscodeed”, she honors the spring wildflower—called miscodeed in Ojibwe—through tender imagery that reflects renewal, resilience, and beauty. The poem embodies her gift for blending cultural knowledge with lyrical expression, leaving a lasting literary legacy.