Historical Setting of the Kanyen'kehaka (Mohawk)
The Kanyen'kehaka (Mohawk) are an Indigenous people from northeastern North America. They are the easternmost member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also referred to as the Iroquois or Six Nations Confederacy.
In the early 17th century, the Kanyen'kehaka lived along the Mohawk River in what is now New York State. Later they came to inhabit lands in the St. Lawrence River region, straddling present-day borders of Quebec, Ontario, and New York State.
The Great Law of Peace
The Six Nations (originally the Five Nations, plus the Tuscaroras who joined in 1722) united in the 12th century under the Great Law of Peace. A white pine tree symbolizes this peace with its long branches that cover and protect as its roots stretch to extend peace to all other nations. Thus, peace and international cooperation are foundational to Haudenosaunee political thought. This peaceful philosophy partially explains why the Kanyen'kehaka established a working relationship with Europeans in the fur trade, and later participated in inter-cultural projects like the Primer.
Spotlight On: Joseph Brant Thayendanegea
Joseph Brant Thayendanegea was an influential war chief, statesman, and Indian Department officer. He descended from a line of prominent war chiefs who fought alongside the British during conflicts with the French.
Thayendanegea served aside British leader, Sir William Johnson, in the Seven Years' War, a conflict between the imperialist agendas of the British and French. Their relationship was close, with Johnson supporting Thayendanegea's enrollment in college. Thayendanegea proved to be a brilliant student, eventually helping to educate future missionaries in the Kanyen'kehaka language to propogate the Anglican religion and English language. With his experience in English education and later his military successes against American rebels, Thayendanegea was a highly respected leader.
In 1783, Britain negotiated peace with the Americans, but betrayed their Indigenous allies in the process. The British transferred sovereignty over all British-claimed land as far west as the Mississippi River to the Americans -- territory that was occupied by various Indigenous nations who had no say in the negotiations. Thayendaneagea was furious and exclaimed that England had "sold the Indians to congress" (Graymont). British leaders tried to appease the situation, explaining to the Kanyen'kehaka that "the right of Soil belongs to and is in yourselves as sole proprietors." These statements mislead Indigenous leaders, "obscuring the distinction between ownership of land and sovereignty over it" (ibid).
Resulting from this loss of land, the Kanyen'kehaka fled the newly occupied American territory, and settled in the present-day Grand River and Bay of Quinte regions of Ontario. Brantford and the Tyendinaga reserve are both named after Joseph Brant (Thayendaneagea).