Edith Monture (1890-1996) was the first indigenous woman in Canada to become a registered nurse and the first indigenous woman to gain the right to vote in a Canadian election.
Edith Monture (1890-1996) was the first indigenous woman in Canada to become a registered nurse and the first indigenous woman to gain the right to vote in a Canadian election.
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Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.
This month, we’re highlighting Indigenous women from around the globe.
Today, we’re talking about a woman who broke barriers and encouraged those around her to do the same. She was the first indigenous woman in Canada to become a registered nurse and the first indigenous woman to gain the right to vote in a Canadian election. Let’s talk about Charlotte Edith Anderson Monture.
Charlotte Edith Anderson Monture - who mostly went by Edith - was born in 1890, on the Six Nations reserve in Ohsweken, near Brantford, Ontario. She was of Mohawk descent.
Edith excelled in school, and was a high school graduate - a rare accomplishment for Canadian women, both indigenous and non-indigenous, at that time. She wanted to go to nursing school, but Canadian federal law prohibited indigenous students from enrolling. But Edith didn’t let that stop her. Instead, she applied to New York’s New Rochelle Nursing school, and was accepted. And in 1914, Edith graduated at the top of her class, and became the first Canadian indigenous registered nurse.
Edith worked as a nurse in New York until 1917, when the US entered into World War I. Then, she joined the U.S. Army Nursing Corps, along with 14 other Canadian nurses.
Her community expected her to die overseas. Before she left, she received ceremonial Mohawk clothing to wear in burial. Nevertheless, at 27 years old, Edith traveled to Vitell, France, and began treating wounded soldiers.
The working conditions were harrowing. Edith worked 14 hour shifts in brutal wartime conditions, sometimes witnessing whole towns being demolished. But even in the midst of this violence, Edith still made deep human connections.
She befriended a 20 year old soldier named Earl King. She called him her “pet patient.” He had been shot in the neck, but they all expected him to make a full recovery. Earl hemorrhaged and died unexpectedly one morning. Edith wrote in her diary: “My heart was broken. Cried most of the day and could not sleep.”
She reached out to Earl’s parents, and formed a friendship with them, later going to visit them in Iowa.
After Edith returned from war, she was granted the right to vote. In Canada, the Military Voters Act of 1917 gave all Canadians who served in the war the right to vote, which included Edith. All indigenous women in Canada didn’t gain the right to vote until 1960.
Edith eventually moved back to the reserve where she grew up, and worked as a nurse there until 1955. She had five children - and her daughter Helen Moses, became a founding member of the Canadian Indigenous Nurses association.
Edith died in 1996, a few days before her 106 birthday.
All month, we’re talking about Indigenous women.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!