Keywords Native Tribes Related Resources Interactive Resources Canada's Native Peoples

In 1710, 3 Mohawk chiefs and a Mahican journeyed to London, where they were presented to Queen Anne. To counteract French Jesuit influence, Anglican missionaries were promised to the Mohawk, and the queen presented communion silver for a chapel. Catholic Mohawk from the St Lawrence played an active role as French allies, participating in the destruction of Deerfield, Massachusetts, in 1704 and Groton, Massachusetts, in 1707.

During the 18th century the Mohawk, now living in 2 principal towns, became surrounded by white settlers. They adopted the housing styles of their neighbours and were closely tied to the British administration. The Indian superintendent, Sir William JOHNSON, married a Mohawk, Mary BRANT. Johnson used Mohawk warriors in the final French-English conflict for possession of the continent. Johnson died before the outbreak of the American Revolution. The Mohawk joined that struggle in 1777, under the leadership of Joseph BRANT, who had just returned from England. Brant and his Mohawk frequently defeated the Americans but were forced to flee their homes, which were confiscated and used by the rebel settlers.

After the war, Brant and his followers settled on the Grand River on a grant secured for them by Governor Frederick HALDIMAND (now the Six Nations Reserve). Other Mohawk, under John DESERONTYON, settled on the Bay of Quinte. These Mohawk were largely Anglican, and the Queen Anne communion silver was divided between the 2 reserves. The Mohawk who settled in Ontario and those on the St Lawrence became increasingly incorporated into the white world. Mohawk from Kahnawake outside Montréal were skilled boaters and were recruited to ferry General Garnet WOLSELEY's army up the Nile in 1884-85 (see NILE EXPEDITION). In later years, men from this same reserve established a reputation as structural-steel workers.

There are close to 35 000 registered Mohawk in Canada (1996c). Over 3000 Mohawk continue to speak their native language. Some of them returned to the HANDSOME LAKE RELIGION and established longhouse congregations at Kahnawake in the 1920s and St Regis (Akwasasne) in the 1930s. Residents of both these communities had been Roman Catholic for some 250 years. Mohawks at Kanesatake and Kahnawake came into armed conflict with the Québec police and the Canadian Forces over land issues at Oka, outside Montréal, in the summer of 1990. Violence has also occurred at Akwesasne in a community divided over the issue of gambling.

See also NATIVE PEOPLE: EASTERN WOODLANDS; IROQUOIS WARS; LAND CLAIMS and general articles under NATIVE PEOPLE.

Brant, Joseph
William Berczy, circa 1807, oil on canvas (courtesy NGC/5777).

Author THOMAS S. ABLER

Suggested Reading
B.G. Trigger, ed, Handbook of North American Indians, vol 15: Northeast (1978).

Links to Other Sites
Six Nations
Extensive site devoted to current and historical issues of importance to the Six Nations community.

Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples
The website for the "Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples." Click on the links for feature articles about Canada's many multicultural communities, access to their extensive digital archives collection, learning modules, and much more. From "Multicultural Canada."

CHIEFS
The Galafilm documentary series CHIEFS is the saga of the great leaders, warriors, and diplomats of the First Nations whose stories form a central drama of Canada and the North American continent. The films tell the life stories of First Nations leaders Sitting Bull, Pontiac, Joseph Brant, Black Hawk, and Poundmaker.

Languages of Canada
A comprehensive online database of languages currently in use in Canada. Also provides details about extinct languages. Check out the "language maps" for more information. Based on "Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition." From SIL International, a US website.

Raid on Deerfield
A narrated history of the 1704 Raid on Deerfield and its aftermath from Native and European perspectives. Also features fascinating stories about Native societies, cultures, trade practices, and traditions. This multimedia website is from the Memorial Hall Museum in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Four Directions Teachings
Elders and traditional teachers representing the Blackfoot, Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk, and Mi’kmaq share teachings about their culture. Animated graphics visualize each of the oral teachings. This website also provides biographies of participants, transcripts, and extensive learning resources for students and their teachers. In English with French subtitles.

NFB: Chiefs
This series is the saga of five great First Nations chiefs -- Sitting Bull, Pontiac, Joseph Brant, Black Hawk and Poundmaker. Their stories form a central drama of the history of the North American continent. Features still photos and video clips. A National Film Board website.

Virtual Vault: The Four Indian Kings
The four Indian kings first travelled to London in 1710 to meet Queen Anne as delegates of the Iroquoian Confederacy in an effort to cement an alliance with the British. Queen Anne was so impressed by her visitors that she commissioned their portraits by court painter John Verelst. The portraits are believed to be some of the earliest surviving oil portraits of Aboriginal peoples taken from life. From Library and Archives Canada.

Chiefswood National Historic Site
The Chiefswood National Historic Site, childhood home of E. Pauline Johnson. Their website features an events listing, historic images from the Chiefswood Collection, and online copies of "The Homing Bee" newsletter. Chiefswood mansion is situated on the banks of the Grand River, on the Six Nations Territory in southern Ontario.