The Ambiguous Iroquois Empire: The Covenant Chain Confederation of Indian Tribes with English Colonies from Its Beginnings to the Lancaster Treaty of 1744

464 Pages·1990·13.722 MB·English

by  Francis Jennings

THE
AMBIGUOUS IROQUOIS
EMPIRE
Also by Francis Jennings
The Invasion of America: Indians, Colonialism and the Cant of Conquest
editor: The Newberry Library Center for the History of the American
Indian Bibliographical Series
THE
AMBIGUOUS IROQUOIS
EMPIRE
The Covenant Chain Confederation of Indian Tribes with English Colonies
from its beginnings to the Lancaster Treaty of 1744
by FRANCIS JENNINGS
W ■ W • NORTON & COMPANY ■ New York • London
I am grateful to the Public Record Office of Great Britain for permission to use crown
copyright materials; and to the following institutions that have granted permission to repro­
duce and provided photographs of materials in their possession or under their copyright:
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library; the Handbook of North American Indians of the Smithson­
ian Institution; the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; the New York State Museum; the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commis­
sion; the University of Pennsylvania Press.
Copyright © 1984 by Francis Jennings
All rights reserved.
Published simultaneously in Canada by George J. McLeod Limited, Toronto.
Printed in the United States of America.
The text of this book is composed in Janson, with display type set in Janson. Composition
and manufacturing by The Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group.
First Edition
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Jennings, Francis, 1918-
The ambiguous Iroquois empire.
Continues: The invasion of America. 1976, C1975.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
i. Indians of North America—Government relations—
To 1789. 2. Iroquois Indians—Government relations.
3. United States—History—Colonial period, ca. 1600
-1775. I. Title.
E93J44 «983 974'o2 82-22452
ISBN 0-3^3-0171^-5
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10110
W. W. Norton & Company Ltd., 37 Great Russell Street, London WCiB 3NU
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
For Della Bierman Jennings
First Teacher

CONTENTS
Maps and Illustrations xi
Preface xv
Technical Note xxiii
Part One: TRANSITORY CONDOMINIUM i
1. Distinctions in Deed and Thought 3
2. An Empire of Convenience 10
Conquest by decree— The myth's revival—Contradictory traditions
3. A Mixing of Peoples 25
Habitations and highways—Division by watersheds—The Iroquois Five
Nations—Nation and tribe— The Iroquois League—Champlains attacks—
Iroquois strategy
4. An Iron Dutch Chain 47
Dutch trade—Dutch war—Dutch-Mohawk alliance
5. Logistics of Intersocietal Commerce 58
The inclusive frontier—Commodity exchange between societies—The roles of
merchants—Traders' travels—Intersocietal partnerships—The Southern
frontier—Northern trading systems— The importance of firearms—Accom­
modation with violence
6. The Iroquoian “Beaver Wars” 84
Tribal competition—French policies—Disastrous effects of French missions—
Iroquois initiatives and French repulses— The founding of Montreal—
Mohawk aims—The Iroquois “melting pot"—Jogues's mission and assassina­
tion—Susquehannock intervention—Assault on Huronia—Downfall of
Huron allies—Resistance of eastern tribes—Mohawk-Onondagafriction—
Renewed war in New Netherland—A turning point
7. Odd Man Out 113
Southward from Iroquoia—Susquehannocks and Delawares—Maryland's
defeat by Susquehannocks and New Sweden—Mohawk War and Maryland
Peace—Dutch conquest of New Sweden—Dutch policies and practices—
English harassment of New Netherland—Susquehannock alliance with
Maryland—Iroquois defeats—Duke of York's conquest of New Netherland—
French destruction of Mohawk towns—New York inherits New Netherland's
roles—Iroquois on the defensive—Marylands assaults on Delaware—Mary­
land “invites" the Susquehannocks to the Potomac—An illusion of peace
Part Two: WARRIORS M3
8. A Silver English Chain !45 Vll
Virginia and Maryland attack the Susquehannocks—Andros's first Covenant
Vll
Vlll CONTENTS
Chain treaty for New England—Andros's approaches to the Susquehan-
nocks—Maryland's threat to Delaware Bay—Andros's response—Maryland1s
"peace" strategy—Disposition of the Susquehannocks—Andros disciplines
Marylands envoy—Role of the Delawares—Iroquois legalism—Disappear­
ance of the Susquehannocks—Baltimore's use of the treaty—Resurgence of the
Mohawks—“Corlaer's" silver chain—Susquebannock revenge—Marylands
frustrations
9. Expansion and Reaction ill
Frontenac and La Salle—Senecas frustrated in the Illinois country—
Mohawks divided by mission—Livingston and Dongan—La Barre—Lord
Howards treaty—Onondaga independence—La Barre's humiliation
10. “They flourish and we decrease.” 186
Denonville—Dongan's expansionism—Denonville's attack—Dongan and
Iroquois "subjects"—Brethren or children?—Effects of the Glorious Revolu­
tion—Iroquois-French war—Shawnees come east—Shawnees and Iroquois—
Minisink Independence—Fletcher's friction with the Iroquois—Delaware
independence—Iroquois losses—Peace for the English, war for the Iroquois—
The Iroquois become a barrier—Livingston's "deed'
11. Permutations 214
Part Three: DIPLOMATS 22 I
12. A Link Lost 223
Penn's plans— The Iroquois and the Susquehanna— Trade on the Schuyl­
kill—Turncoat coureurs de bois—Penn's treaty with the Susquebannock /
Conestogas—Tentative dealings with the Iroquois—Penn's personality and
status—Penn's policies toward Indians— The Great Treaty with the Dela­
wares—James Logan
13. Mending Chain
249
The warriors' path southward—Trade and hospitality at the Susquehanna—
Logan as merchant—Botched plan to invade Canada— Tuscarora negotia­
tions—Decanisora's secret treaty—Canadian invasion bungled again—Hos­
pitality for Tuscaroras and Mennonites—Delawares and Iroquois—Logan's
supremacy—Logan as land speculator—Encroachment at Conestoga—Alien­
ation of Chartier's Shawnees—Logan and the Delawares—Markets and
immigrants
14. A Vise Made in Europe
275
Keith versus Logan—William Penn's contested inheritance— Virginia com­
plains about the warriors' path—Perils at Conestoga—A frontier line pro­
posed—Iroquois soundings about trade—Conflicts of interest— Trade between
Montreal and Albany—English imperialists' new western strategy
15. Desperation in Iroquoia 289
Iroquois status on the Susquehanna— The murder of Sawantaeny—Breach of
the Susquehanna boundary—Keith's business at Albany—Spotswootf s
ambiguous frontier line—Iroquois responsibility for the other tribes— The
unsuppressible Montreal-Albany trade— Competition in fort building—Del­
awares and Shawnees reject Iroquois proposals for war—"Women" and the
west—General Indian unrest—Logan's treaties—Shawnee flight—Iroquois
losses
CONTENTS IX
16. A New Fire 309
Logan's straits—Reduction of the Tulpehockens—New proposals to the Iro­
quois—The Penns' debts—Penns sell Indian lands—Nutimus resists— The
Iroquois become police—The Six Nations' price
17. Chain into Fetters 325
Delaware land tenure—Cessions to Pennsylvania— The lands of Nutimus—
The “ancient deed"—Rehearsal for a Walk—A real estate lottery—More
Shawnees flee, and the Mohawks grumble—A confidence game and the
Walk—Anger, threats, and violence—Conquest of the eastern Delawares
18. Summit and Slope
347
Settlers: Scotch-Irisb and Moravian— The turbulent Ohio country—
Mohawk travail— Virginians attack an Iroquois party—Treaty at Lancas­
ter—Canasatego's traditionary history—Rights of conquest, again—Iroquois
cessions—Worm-eaten triumph—Onondaga's about-face—Privilege with­
drawn
19. Conflict and Accommodation 367
Indian collaboration with Europeans—The League and the Chain—New
York's dual center—Tribal insubordination—Functions of treaties—Ambi­
guity of the Chain—Our side and their side
Appendices 377
A. A council at Onondaga, as reported by Conrad Weiser in 1743
B. Documents of the Walking Purchase
C. On the undoing of history
Bibliography 407
Index 429