Looking at the Primer
The first edition of the Primer was printed in Montreal in 1781. The second edition (pictured on this page) was printed in 1786 in London and included an engraving by James Peachey depicting a Kanyen'kehaka classroom of students and their instructor. The Primer contains 98 pages that include 43 different lessons. English was printed on one side, with Kanienʼkéha (Mohawk) on the other. It includes sections on the alphabet, syllables, a short scripture catechism, church catechism, prayers, a list of names from the Bible, and numbers.
The prominence of religious content in the Primer illustrates the importance the British placed on Anglicanism in the process of cultural exchange. Eighty-one percent of the book contained religious or partially-religious content. This structure aligns with other Anglican primers used around that time.
The heavy Anglican focus found in the Primer relates to the larger history of forging an alliance between the British and the Kanyen'kehaka. This history will be discussed further in the next pages.
Spotlight On: Daniel Claus
Daniel Claus was born into a wealthy family from southwestern Germany, and emigrated to North America at the age of eighteen. He crossed the ocean with hopes of being a silk and tobacco merchant but was unsuccessful. He found work as a tutor for the son of the Indian Agent of Pennsylvania and through this contact travelled to the Mohawk Valley in the Province of New York in 1750, where he stayed with the Onondagas and began to compile a vocabulary of the Onondaga language.
Upon his return, the Governor of Philadelphia recognized Claus' interest in languages and arranged for him to live amongst the Kanyen'kehaka. Claus stayed with Hendrick Theyanoguin (called "King Hendrick" by the British), an ancestor of Joseph Brant Thayendanegea, who instructed Claus in the language and culture of the Six Nations. This experience led Claus to becoming Deputy Secretary of Indian Affairs in 1755 under the management of Sir William Johnson.
During the Seven Years' War, Claus was a vital figure for communicating with Haudenosaunee leaders, acting as an interpreter and diplomat for the British. Claus lived comfortably during the years leading up to the American Revolution, but later had to flee the Hudson (Mohawk) Valley in 1777 when British loyalists were defeated in Saratoga.
In the final years of his career, Claus oversaw the process of settling numerous Six Nations communities on British-claimed territory, including present-day Bay of Quinte on the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Grand River on the north shore of Lake Erie. He was also closely involved in Kanienʼkéha (Mohawk) language education in the new settlements, particularly in the publication of a new religious primer in 1781. Claus created the Primer for the Use of the Mohawk Children within a backdrop of cooperation and alliance building through education and evangelization, which is further explained in the next pages.