922 



MOHAWK 



[b. a. e. 



namely, the Bear, the Wolf, and the 

 Turtle. The tribe is represented in the 

 federal council by 9 chiefs of the rank of 

 roianer (see Chiefs), being 3 from every 

 clan. These chiefships were known by 

 specific names, which were conferred with 

 the office. These official titles are Tek- 

 arihoken, Haienhwatha, and Satekjirih- 

 wate, of the first group; Orenrehkowa, 

 Deionhehkon, and Sharenhowanen, of 

 the second grouj); and Dehennakarine, 

 Eastawenserontha, and Shoskoharowa- 

 nen, of the third group. The first two 

 groups or clans formed an intratribal 

 phratry, while the last, or Bear clan 

 group, was the other phratry. The people 

 at all times assemble<l by phratries, and 

 each phratry occupied a side of the coun- 

 cil fire opposite that occupied l)y the other 

 phratry. The second title in the forego- 

 ing list has been AngUcized into Hiawatha 

 (q: v.). 



From the Jesuit Relation for 1660 it is 

 learned that theMohawk, during a period 

 of 60 years, had been many times both at 

 the top and the bottom of the la<lder 

 of success; that, being insolent and war- 

 like, they had attacked tiae Abnaki and 

 their congeners at the e., the Conestoga 

 at the s., the Hurons at the w. and n., 

 and the Algonquian triljes at the n. ; that 

 at the close of the 16th century the Al- 

 gonkin had so reduced them that there 

 appeared to be none left, but that the re- 

 mainder increased so rapidly tliat in a 

 few years they in turn had overthrown 

 the Algonkin. This success did not last 

 long. The Conestoga waged war against 

 them so vigorously for 10 years that for 

 the second time the Mohawk were over- 

 thrown so completely that they ai:>peared 

 to l)e extinct. About this time (?1614) 

 the Dutch arrived in their country, and, 

 being attracted by their beaver skins, 

 they furnished the Mohawk and their 

 congeners with firearms, in order that 

 the pelts might ])e obtained in greater 

 abundance. The purpose of the Dutch 

 was admirably served, but the possession 

 of firearms by the Mohawk and their con- 

 federates rendered it easy for them to 

 conquer their adversaries, whom they 

 routed and filled with terror not alone 

 by the deadly effect but even by the 

 mere sound of these weapons, which 

 hitherto had been unknown. Thence- 

 forth the Mohawk and their confederates 

 became formidable adversaries and were 

 victorious most everywhere, so that by 

 1660 the conquests of the Iroquois con- 

 federates, although they were not numer- 

 ous, extended over nearly 500 leagues of 

 territory. The Mohawk at that time num- 

 bered not more than 500 warriors and 

 dwelt in 4 or 5 wretched villages. 



The accounts of Mohawk migrations 

 previous to the historical period are 



largely conjectural. Some writers do not 

 clearly differentiate between the Mohawk 

 and the Huron tribes at the n. and w. 

 and from their own confederates as a 

 whole. Besides fragmentary and un- 

 trustworthy traditions little that is defi- 

 nite is known regarding the migratory 

 movements of the Mohawk. 



In 1603, Cham plain, while at Tadousac, 

 heard of the Mohawk and their country. 

 On July 30, 1609, he encountered on the 

 lake to which he gave his own name a 

 party of nearly 200 Iroquois warriors, 

 under 3 chiefs. In a skirmish in which 

 he shot two of the chiefs dead and 

 wounded the third, he defeated this 

 party, which was most probably largely 

 Mohawk. Dismayed l)y the firearms of 

 the Frenchman, whom they now met for 

 the first time, the Indians fled. The 

 Iroquois of this party wore arrow-proof 

 armor and had both stone and iron 

 hatchets, the latter having been obtained 

 in trade. The fact tliat in Capt. Hen- 

 dricksen's report to the States General, 

 Aug. 18, 1616, he says th^ he had 

 " bought from the inhabitants, the Min- 

 quaes [Conestoga], 3 persons, being peo- 

 ple belonging to this company," who 

 were "employed in the service of the 

 Mohawks and Machicans," giving, he 

 says, for them, in exchange, "kettles, 

 beads, and merchandise," shows how 

 extensively the inland trade was carried 

 on between the Dutch and the Mohawk. 

 The latter were at war with the Mohe- 

 gan and other New England tribes with 

 only intermittent periods of peace. In 

 1623 a Mohegan fort stood opposite Cas- 

 tle id. in the Hudson and was "built 

 against their enemies, the Maquaes, a 

 powerful people." In 1626 the Dutch 

 commander of Ft Orange (All )any), and 

 6 of his men, joined the Mohegan in an 

 expedition to invade the Mohawk coun- 

 try. They were met a league from the 

 fort by a party of Mohawk armed only 

 with bows and arrows, and were defeated, 

 the Dutch commander and 3 of his men 

 being killed, and of whom one, probably 

 the commander, was cooked and eaten 

 by the ]\Iohawk. This intermittent war- 

 fare continued until the Mohegan were 

 finally forced to withdraw from the upper 

 waters of the Hudson. They did not 

 however relinquish their territorial rights 

 to their native adversaries, and so in 1630 

 they began to sell their lands to the 

 Dutch. The deed to the Manor of Rens- 

 salaerwyck, which extended w. of the 

 river two days' journey, and was mainly 

 on the E. side of the river, was dated in 

 the year named. In 1637 Kilian Van 

 Renssalaer bought more land on the e. 

 side. Subsequently the Mohegan became 

 the friends and allies of the Mohawk, 

 their former adversaries. 



