Memoir of the distinguiished Mohawk Indian Chief, Sachem, and warrior, Capt. Joseph Brant
| Database ID | 25627 | |
| Institution | University of Saskatchewan Libraries Special Collections | |
| Fonds/Collection | Shortt Library of Canadiana | |
| Series | FC | |
| File/Item Reference | FC-3205_1 | |
| Date of creation | 1872 | |
| Physical description/extent | 1 book; 114 p. | |
| Number of images | 1 | |
| Historical note | Brant, Joseph, or Thayendanegea, MOHAWK war chief, Loyalist, statesman (b at Cayahoga [near Akron, Ohio] c Mar 1742/43; d at Burlington Bay, Upper Canada 24 Nov 1807), brother of Mary BRANT. Joseph Brant saw limited action during the SEVEN YEARS' WAR and was with Sir William JOHNSON in the expedition against Ft Niagara in 1759. In 1761 Johnson sent him to Moor's Indian and Charity School at Lebanon, Conn, where he stayed for 2 years. In 1765 Brant married an Oneida (who died in 1771) and settled at Canajoharie in the Mohawk Valley.For nearly a decade, he acted as an interpreter for Johnson and his successor in the British Indian Dept, Guy Johnson; aided missionaries in teaching Christianity to the Aboriginal people, and helped translate religious materials into Mohawk. With the outbreak of the AMERICAN REVOLUTION, Brant immediately rallied to the royal cause and visited England in 1775-76 with Guy Johnson.On his return Brant fought throughout the war with an Aboriginal-Loyalist band. He was greatly admired as a soldier and was commissioned a captain by the British in 1780, but fought as a war chief. Beginning in 1783 and through the mid-1790s Brant worked to form a united confederation of Iroquois and western Aboriginal peoples in order to block American expansion westward. His dream ultimately was undermined by factionalist jealousies among the FIRST NATIONS, by American opposition, and finally by British betrayal.About 1779 Brant married Catharine, a Mohawk from a prominent family. In May 1784, following the war, Brant led the Mohawk LOYALISTS and other Aboriginal peoples to a large tract of land on the Grand River [Ont] granted them in compensation for their losses in the war. Convinced that Aboriginal people would have to learn white agriculture to survive and thinking that the tract was too small for hunting, Brant wanted to lease or sell land to whites, which would provide an income as well. A complicated controversy with the government over the nature of Aboriginal land tenure then arose; at the same time there was discontent among some of the Grand River Aboriginal people over disposition of the money. In his later years Brant lived quietly in his magnificent house at Burlington Bay in an English style and translated parts of the Bible into Mohawk.Author ROBERT S. ALLEN | |
| Scope and content | Remaining part of title reads "compiled from the most reliable and authentic records : including a brief history of the principal events of his life, with an appendix and portrait". Attributed to William Ketchum: cf. A.F. Hunter -- Bibliographical notes, Ont. Prov. Museum, Ann. Archaeological reports, vol. 4, 1900, p. 56. | |
| Restrictions on access | There are no restrictions on access. | |
| Contributer | Brant, Joseph (author) | |
| Copyright holder | Public domain | |
| Other terms governing use and reproduction | Responsibility regarding questions of copyright that may arise in the use of any images is assumed by the researcher. | |
| Type | Published | |
| Primary Media | Textual documents | |
| Specific document types | Books | |
| Provenance Access Point | University of Saskatchewan Library. Shortt Library of Canadiana | |
| Treaty boundaries | No data | |
| Cultural region | Southeast | |
| Subject | People Chiefs | |
| Date Range(s) | 1870-1879 | |
| Permanent Link | https://digital.scaa.sk.ca/ourlegacy/permalink/25627
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