ONEOFMANYFEATHERS'

Great Leaders, Warriors and People

 

Cornplanter

Chief of the Seneca

 

Chief of the Seneca Tribe and principal Chief of the Six Nations from the period of the Revolutionary war to the time of his death.

Gaiänt'wakê (Kaintwakon; generally known as Cornplanter; c. 1750 - February 18, 1836) was a Seneca war-chief. He was the son of a Seneca mother, Aliquipiso, and a Dutch father, Johannes Abeel. He also carried the name John Abeel (sometimes spelled O'Bail) after his fur trader father. He was born at Canawaugus (now in the Town of Caledonia) on the Genesee River in present-day New York State around 1750 and was raised by his mother.

Cornplanter decided that he would plant crops and live peacefully; hence his English name, Cornplanter. His Seneca name, Gaiänt'wakê (often spelled Gyantwachia), means "the planter," and another variation, Kaintwakon, means "by what one plants."

Cornplanter was a great war captain of the Seneca nation, a member of the Iroquois Confederacy. The American Revolution split this Confederacy, destroying its New York bulwark against the whites. Most of the Iroquois, including Cornplanter's tribe, sided with the British against the Americans. To eliminate any threat from the Senecas, the most powerful member of the Iroquois Confederacy, in 1779 General George Washington dispatched General John Sullivan, along with four thousand men, to lay waste and devastate the Iroquois homeland. During this invasion of Seneca territory, the only full-scale military engagement between the Senecas and U.S. soldiers to take place in Yates County occurred at Kashong Creek. The devastation inflicted upon the Senecas, in terms of lives and property lost, was immense. Over forty villages were wiped out, and more than one-hundred and fifty thousand bushels of corn were destroyed, resulting in starvation for the survivors. Defeated, Cornplanter signed a treaty with the government, ceding land to the United States. This disgraced him in the eyes of his people, but made him a favorite of whites, including Thomas Jefferson, with whom Cornplanter became friendly. Cornplanter was reputed to be about a hundred years old at the time of his death. The painting shows Cornplanter in 1796.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the land area around Western New York State and Northwestern Pennsylvania was populated by the Seneca Nation of the League of the Iroquois. The League was a confederacy which united various Iroqouis speakers (the Senecas, Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, etc.) throughout New York State and into Pennsylvania. The Senecas at that time were the largest and most powerful of all the Iroquois Nations, and were the furthest west of all the Nations, considered guardians of the "Western Door" by the League. During the Revolutionary War, the Iroquois tried to remain neutral, but eventually sided with the British because they wanted American settlers off their land. The neutrality was officially ended at Oswego in July, 1777, after which they attacked the Americans at Fort Stanwix near Rome, New York. At this time, the Senecas were led by Kiasutha and his nephew, Cornplanter. Cornplanter distinguished himself as a heroic war chief during the Revolution, often engaged in battles with forces led by George Washington, for whom Cornplanter reportedly had great respect. Following the War, when Cornplanter took over as Seneca Chief from his uncle, Cornplanter's respect for Washington only increased as they negotiated various land treaties between the Seneca and the new American government. In fact, Cornplanter negotiated one of the only lasting land treaties with the United States, and was even given land personally by the U.S. government. Chief Cornplanter and the Senecas held a domain that stretched from present-day Buffalo to Pittsburgh, and from Chautauqua Lake to Cleveland.

For the most part, Cornplanter and his people existed in relative harmony with the American settlers, and even defended them against attack on several occasions. Cornplanter, the leader of the Seneca Nation, died in 1836 at the age of approximately 100.

Although eventually treated harshly and forced out of most of the French Creek region by American military campaigns and broken treaties, the Seneca held influence there for many decades. In addition, the Seneca's social and political structure rivaled that of America's (in fact, many believe that the Iroquois Confederacy provided a model upon which much of the U.S. Constitution is based). Particularly, women held positions of high respect within Seneca society, and played major roles not only in family life, but also in shaping governmental decisions, settling disputes, and fostering community planning. The Iroquois also seemed to be much more accepting of other people than America has been historically. By most accounts, the Iroquois readily accepted European Whites into their nations and Families. In fact, Chief Cornplanter was half Dutch, descended from a Seneca mother and a Dutch Trader.

 

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