Conclusion, Bibliography, and Credits
Final Thoughts
A Primer for the Use of the Mohawk Children was a stepping-stone in British-Haudenosaunee relationships. At the time of its printing, the British colonial goal was not the outright assimilation of Indigenous people. The focus of both peoples remained cooperative, on the potential for economic, military, and political alliances. The Primer emerged within a backdrop of alliance-building through education and evangelization, at a critical time immediately following the American Revolution that saw the displacement of Haudenosaunee and British to north of the Great Lakes. This serves to demonstrate that British involvement in education and conversion would escalate after the 1780s, eventually culminating in assimilation and coercive residential school policies in the mid-1800s.
It is important to acknowledge that the period in British-Haudenosaunee relations that followed the War of 1812 -- that of the coercive residential school era -- was incredibly damaging to the Kanyen'kehaka communities. The proliferation of such schools across Canada was devastating to all Indigenous communities in the country. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015) highlighted the physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse inflicted in these institutions. The destructive nature of removing Indigenous children from their families and assimilation practices utilized in these institutions amounted to cultural genocide. The process of assimilation consequently devalued and eroded Indigenous knowledges, ways of life, and traditions.
Our investigation into the backdrop of the publication of A Primer for the Use of the Mohawk Children illustrates the complexity of British-Haudenosaunee relations in the 18th century, when the Kanyen'kehaka accommodated British methods as a means of retaining their rights against a backdrop of dispossession and conflict. The Primer is testament to the resilience of Kanyen'kehaka nationhood and culture.
Bibliography
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Credits
Researched and written by Queen's University HIST212 students, Camille Prevost (Winter, 2021) and Sam Russell (Summer, 2021).
Designed by Sam Russell.
Supervised and edited by Brendan Edwards (Curator, W.D. Rare Books and Special Collections).
Thank you to Kim Bell, Daniella Cruz, Ken Hernden, Natasa Krsmanovic, and Jennifer Lucas.