Four Mohawk Kings

THE four mohawk kings (also known as four indian kings or some four kings of the New World) were three leaders mohawks from one of the five nations of the Iroquois Confederacy and a leader mohican of the Algonquin peoples, whose portraits were made by the Dutch painter John Verelst in London to commemorate their trip in 1710 to meet the Queen Anne of Britain¹.

Historical Context: A Diplomatic Visit to the Court of Queen Anne[to modify | modify the code]

The three heads (or sachems) were: Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow, king of the Maquas of the Bear clan (whose Christianized name was Peter Brant and who was the grandfather of the Mohawk chief Joseph Brant)² ; Ho Nee Yeath Taw No Row, King of the Generethgarich Nations of the Wolf Clan; and Tee Yee Ho Ga Row, also of the Wolf Clan, also known as Hendrick Tejonihokarawa or King Hendrick. The leader (or sachem) mohican was Etow Oh Koam, of the Turtle clan, king of the River nation³.

The four leaders indigenous went to the Court of Queen Anne in 1710 as part of a diplomatic visit organized by Pieter Schuyler, mayor ofAlbany, New York⁴. They were received at London as diplomats, transported through the city streets in royal carriages and received by Queen Anne at the Court of St. James's Palace. During their stay in the British capital, they notably visited the Tower of London and the Saint Paul's cathedral⁵.

In addition to requesting military aid to defend against the French, the leaders requested missionaries to counterbalance the influence of the Jesuits French, who had converted many Mohawks to Catholicism. Queen Anne informs theArchbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Tenison, and a mission is authorized. Mayor Schuyler built a chapel the following year at Fort Hunter (located near the Mohawk village "Lower Castle") along the Mohawk River. Queen Anne sent a gift of a silver communion set and a reed organ. The Mohawk village known as "Lower Castle" became primarily Christianized in the early xviii^e century, unlike the “upper castle” of Canajoharie further upstream. No mission to the latter was founded until 1769, when William Johnson, the British agent to the Iroquois, built the Indian Castle Church, still standing⁶.

Reception of this diplomatic visit in arts and culture[to modify | modify the code]

Official portraits taken by John Verelst[to modify | modify the code]

Received with great pomp during their stay in London, the four kings left their mark on the consciences and imagination of the British: on the occasion of their visit, and even later, poems, ballads and music were written About them⁷. Also, to commemorate the kings' visit to London, the Queen Anne loaded John Verelst, a Dutch portrait painter living in London, to paint their official portraits. These paintings were exhibited at Kensington Palace until 1977, when they were acquired by the Canada thanks to a special grant from the Canadian government. These are the first known oil portraits of North American Indigenous life. The “Four Indian Kings” were so popular that the engraver John Simon created prints based on these paintings⁷, which are today preserved in the collections of the British Library⁸.

Portrait exhibitions[to modify | modify the code]

The four portraits created by John Verelst were shown to the public within the exhibition The Four Indian Kings, organized at Ottawa by the Public Archives of Canada of October 16 At November 20, 1977⁹. In 2007, the four works were loaned by Canada to the National Portrait Gallery in London on the occasion of the exhibition Between Worlds: Voyagers to Britain, 1700-1850^10,11. Of September 12, 2008 At January 25, 2009, there National Portrait Gallery has Washington presents these portraits in an exhibition entirely dedicated to them, entitled Four Indian Kings¹².

The four kings[to modify | modify the code]

Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow, king of the Maquas[to modify | modify the code]

Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow was one of the three chiefs haudenosaunee who traveled to Britain to meet the Queen. He is a Mohawk chief and member of the Bear Clan. During his visit, Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow was baptized Peter Brant. He was the grandfather of the famous Iroquois chief Joseph Brant. The portrait of Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow executed by John Verelst is an excellent testimony to the practices of indigenous tattoos of the xviii^e century.

Ho Nee Yeath Taw No Row, King of Nations Generethgarich[to modify | modify the code]

Ho Nee Yeath Taw No Row was born in what is now upstate New York. He was one of the three leaders haudenosaunee who traveled to Britain to meet the Queen. Ho Nee Yeath Taw No Row was baptized and then called John. Ho Nee Yeath Taw No Row was part of the Wolf clan, and that is why a wolf is depicted with him in his portrait by John Verelst. Much like other chiefs, symbolic skin markings, clothing, and magnificent objects were all ways in which indigenous diplomats demonstrated their values ​​and status.

Etow Oh Koam, King of the River Nation[to modify | modify the code]

Etow Oh Koam was a leader mohican and not Haudenosaunee, but he also traveled with the other chiefs to Britain to meet Queen Anne. In the portrait made by John Verelst, he holds a spherical-headed club made of carved wood, which shows his warrior status.

Tee Yee Ho Ga Row (Hendrick Tejonihokarawa or King Hendrick)[to modify | modify the code]

Tee Yee Ho Ga Row (christened Hendrick) was the third of three Haudenosaunee chiefs to travel to Britain to meet the Queen. He is nicknamed theEmperor of the Six Nations. Tee Yee Ho Ga Row is depicted in his portrait by Verelst as holding a belt of wampum. The wampum belt was an important item to the Iroquois people that serves to remember the reunion and represent a covenant that cannot be broken unless the belt is returned. Residents of London described Tee Yee Ho Ga Row as tall and beautiful. He was about thirty years old at the time of his trip to London; he was described as a powerful man among his people and as a good friend of the English.

Notes and references[to modify | modify the code]