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The Mohawk Nation is a Native American tribe from upstate New York. They were part of the Iroquois Confederacy, the oldest constitutional democracy in the world. Mohawk women played a significant role in tribal government. The Mohawks were farmers, fishermen, and hunters who lived in large settlements. During the American Revolution, some Mohawks fought with the British and were forced to relocate to Canada. Today, the Mohawk Nation resides in Canada and the United States, and the St. Regis Tribal Council is the governing body of the Mohawk people.
The Mohawk Nation is a Native American tribe originally located in the upstate New York region near what is now the city of Albany. Called Kanienkeha:ka, or flint people, the tribe was given the name Mohawk, or man-eaters, by their Algonquin enemies. Europeans also adopted the name, due to its ease of pronunciation, and it has been accepted as the legal name of the tribe.
The Mohawk Nation joined with the Cayuga, Seneca, Oneida and Onondaga in forming the Iroquois Confederacy. They were later joined by the Tuscarora tribe and are often referred to as the Six Nations. Founded on August 31, 1142, the Iroquois Confederacy is the oldest constitutional democracy in the world. Led by elected leaders, the Confederacy existed for mutual defense and each member nation was given a territory to protect. The Mohawk Nation was appointed Guardian of the Eastern Gate and had the duty to protect the Iroquois nations from eastern invaders.
Like other members of the Confederacy, the Mohawk Nation retained its national sovereignty. The people were organized into three distinct matrilineal groups; the clans of turtles, wolves and bears. Mohawk women played a significant role in tribal government. The children belonged to the mother’s clan and the women elected the local chief. Women also made decisions regarding land and resources, while men were responsible for decisions regarding warfare and trade.
The Mohawks were farmers, fishermen and hunters who lived in large settlements. They lived in longhouses built of logs and bark that housed up to twenty families. In 1609, Henry Hudson was one of the first Europeans to make contact with the Mohawk Nation, and in time the Dutch and the Mohawks became allies. After New Amsterdam came under the control of the British, who changed the name of the settlement to New York, the Mohawks transferred their allegiance to the British.
In 1775, as tensions rose between the British and the colonists, the member nations of the Iroquois Confederacy strove to maintain a neutral position. This position was contested by the Mohawk chief Theyebdbegea, called Joseph Brant by the British. Educated in British schools, Brant was fluent in several languages including English, Greek and Latin and translated the New Testament into his native tongue. In 1776 he traveled to England and was presented at the king’s court. Upon his return, Brant traveled to the various Iroquois nations urging them to join the British in the war, arguing that this was the only way to stop the spread of white settlement.
The American Revolution was one of the few times in the long history of the Iroquois Confederacy that member nations fought against each other. Some of the Iroquois followed Brant and allied with the British. The Oneida and Tuscarora chose to join the Americans, and the tribes clashed repeatedly throughout the war. After the British withdrew, members of the Mohawk Nation and other tribes who had fought with Brant were forced to relocate to Canada.
The Mohawk Nation now resides in Canada and the United States around Quebec, Ontario and New York. In 1892 the New York state government formally recognized the St. Regis Tribal Council as the governing body of the Mohawk people. Originally composed of three trustees and one clerk, the Council now has three chiefs and three sub-chiefs, each chosen through democratic elections for three years. The Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs, also made up of elected officials, is the administrative agency of the tribe.
