The Treaty of Canandaigua, 1794

A significant part of the history and culture of the Haudenosaunee and Indians of the United States is the treaty. In last week’s cultural corner you learned just what is a Treaty. An important treaty for the Haudenosaunee is the Canandaigua Treaty, which was signed on November 11, 1794.

You may know that this Treaty is commemorated every year on the signing date in Canandaigua. It’s a big event and many Haudenosaunee and non-natives attend this event.

As you read the articles of the Treaty (there are only 7) and the words of the Haudenosaunee leadership such as Red Jacket (Seneca) you will realize the Haudenosaunee knew what they wanted but the USA took a stand and did not budge.

The territories of the Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Senecas are clearly outlined. This is important with the present day land claims.

It proves to be interesting commentary by the writers. Read onward. Next Ft. Stanwix Treaty.

The Treaty of Canandaigua, 1794

Background:

In 1786, the “United Indian Nations” formed a common front against the United States of America. They were not seeking war, but recognition of their rights as nations and of their rights to their lands.

The Haudenosaunee were among the nations who sent a message to Congress as a result of a council held near the mouth of the Detroit River on November 28 and December 18, 1786:

BRETHREN OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

It is now more than three years since peace was made between the King of Great Britain and you, but we, the Indians, were disappointed, finding ourselves not included in that peace, according to our expectations: for we thought that its conclusion would have promoted a friendship between the United States and Indians, that we might enjoy that happiness which formerly subsisted between us and our elder brethren. We have received two very agreeable messages from the thirteen United States. We also received a message from the King, whose war we were engaged in, desiring us to remain quiet, which we accordingly complied with. During the time of this tranquillity, we were deliberating the best method we could to form a lasting reconciliation and friendship with the thirteen United States. Pleased at the same time, we thought we were entering upon a reconciliation and friendship with a set of people born on the same continent with ourselves, certain that the quarrel between us was not of our own making. In the course of our councils, we imagined we hit upon an expedient that would promote a lasting peace between us.

BROTHERS:

We are still of the same opinion as to the means which may tend to reconcile us to each other; and we are sorry to find, although we had the best thoughts in our minds, during the beforementioned period, mischief has, nevertheless, happened between you and us. We are still anxious of putting our plan of accommodation into execution, and we shall briefly inform you of the means that seem most probable to us of effecting a firm and lasting peace and reconciliation: the first step towards which should, in our opinion, be, that all treaties carried on with the United States, on our parts, should be with the general voice of the whole confederacy, and carried on in the most open manner, without any restraint on either side; and especially as landed matters are often the subject of our councils with you, a matter of the greatest importance and of general concern to us, in this case we hold it indispensably necessary that any cession of lands should be made in the most public manner, and by the united voice of the confederacy; holding all partial treaties as void and of no effect.

We did everything in our power, at the treaty of Fort Stanwix, to induce you to follow this plan, as our real intentions were, at that very time, to promote peace and concord between us, and that we might look upon each other as friends, having given you no cause or provocation to be otherwise…

…Let us have a treaty with you early in the spring; let us pursue reasonable steps; let us meet half ways, for our mutual convenience; we shall then bring in oblivion the misfortunes that have happened, and meet each other on a footing of friendship.

The Confederacy---including the Haudenosaunee, the Hurons, Ottawas, Miamis, Shawnee, Ojibways, Cherokees, Delawares, Potowatomis and the Wabash Confederates, asked the United States to prevent surveyors and United States citizens crossing the Ohio River. The idea of the Ohio country as “Indian territory” was still bright in people’s minds.

On January 9, 1789, a treaty was entered into between the United States and the Six Nations at Fort Harmar. It confirmed as “a more formal and regular conveyance to the United States of the Indian claims to the lands” yielded in the Fort Stanwix Treaty of 1784. The Mohawks were not part of the Treaty of Fort Harmar, which the United States were represented by Arthur St. Clair, who got his two years later in the Defeat which bears his name.

Continued next week