Scott, Duncan Campbell (1862-1947), was a Canadian poet. He was most noted for his romantic poems about Indigenous (native) people’s life and the primitive violence of the northern Canadian wilderness. “The Onondaga Madonna” and “The Forsaken” are two of his best-known poems about Indigenous people. His “Piper of Arll” describes the sea. Scott published his first volume of poetry, The Magic House and Other Poems, in 1893. He also wrote short stories, biographies, a novel, and a play.
Scott was born on Aug. 2, 1862, in Ottawa. He worked in the Canadian Department of Indian Affairs from 1879 to 1932. As an official of this department, he visited Indigenous territories throughout Canada. Scott’s contacts with Indigenous people are reflected in his poetry. He died on Dec. 19, 1947.
See also Canadian literature (Confederation to World War I).
