Kitty

The story of Kitty is one of the most moving tales in the diary. Reading carefully, we see that she turned to the medicine tent and to Christian hymns when facing death, and that she was cared for by many people besides Mary Johnston: her husband, her father, who sits with her all through the night as she is dying, and those who gather to sing in her honour and prepare her for burial. Kitty’s death at a seemingly young age was an occurrence that was all too common among Indigenous people at the time. Smallpox, tuberculosis, and influenza were all leading killers. If any readers know more about Kitty from Jack Head, please let us know.