Joseph Brant (1742-1807), an important Mohawk chief (also known as Thayendanegea), was firmly allied with British causes through his sister’s marriage to William Johnson, the British Superintendent of Indians. Educated at Eleazar Wheelock’s Indian Charity School in Connecticut, by the 1770s he was recognized as a prominent leader of the Iroquois Confederacy. His strong allegiance to the British contributed to the rift among Confederacy members at the onset of the American Revolution, when the Oneidas and Tuscaroras decided to support the Americans. After the Revolution Brant was eventually awarded a land grant by the British at Anaquaqua, on the Grand River in Ontario, Canada. This became the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, named after Brant. He also worked on translating the Bible into the Mohawk language.
Bibliography:
Thomas Loraine McKenney and James Hall. History of the Indian tribes of North America. Philadelphia: E. C. Biddle, 1836-1844.
