Cornplanter

Cornplanter (Gayentwahga, John O’Bail) was a Seneca who rose to prominence during the American Revolution as an ally of the British, leading war parties against American settlers. After the war, Cornplanter, unlike the Mohawk chief Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) and his followers who resettled in Canada, recognized the sovereignty of the new American nation and negotiated for Seneca lands. Cornplanter became a trusted friend of the Americans.

Some of Cornplanter’s most famous words were addressed to President George Washington:

When your army entered the country of the Six Nations, we called you Caunotaucarius, the Town Destroyer; and to this day when that name is heard, our women look behind them and turn pale, and our children cling to the knees of their mothers. . . When you gave us peace, we called you father, because you promised to secure us in possession of our lands.

His English name from the British military coat he wore. Red Jacket held out against non-Indian influences, urging his people to live in their traditional manner. An eloquent man with an excellent memory for detail, he is remembered for many different speeches and letters.

When protesting Seneca land sales, he said:

We stand as a small island in the bosom of the great waters. . . They rise, they press upon us and the waves will settle over us and we shall disappear forever. Who then lives to mourn us, white man? None.

When complaining about missionaries among the Seneca, Red Jacket said:

The black coats tell us to work and raise corn; they do nothing themselves and would starve to death if someone did not feed them. All they do is pray to the Great Spirit; but that will not make corn and potatoes grow; if it will why do they beg from us and from the white people. The red men knew nothing of trouble until it came from the white men; as soon as they crossed the great waters they wanted our country, and in return have always been ready to teach us to quarrel about their religion. . . We are few and weak, but may for a long time be happy if we hold fast to our country, and the religion of our fathers.