Famous Mohawk


Famous Mohawk Chiefs and Leaders 

  • Pauline Johnson, Mohawk writer
  • Joseph Brant or  Thayendanegea (March 1743 – November 24, 1807) was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. 
  • Molly Brant, Mohawk leader, sister of Joseph Brant
  • Joseph Tehawehron David, Mohawk artist
  • Esther Louise Georgette Deer, Mohawk dancer and singer
  • Tracey Deer, Mohawk filmmaker
  • John Deseronto, Mohawk chief
  • Canaqueese, called Flemish Bastard, Mohawk chief
  • Carla Hemlock, quilter, beadwork artist
  • Donald “Babe” Hemlock, woodcarver, sculptor
  • Hiawatha, Mohawk chief
  • Karonghyontye or Captain David Hill, Mohawk leader
  • Kahn-Tineta Horn, activist
  • Kaniehtiio Horn, film and television actress
  • Waneek Horn-Miller, Olympic water polo player
  • Devery Jacobs, actress
  • Sid Jamieson, lacrosse player, coach
  • George Henry Martin Johnson, Mohawk chief and interpreter
  • Pauline Johnson, writer
  • Stan Jonathan, former NHL hockey player
  • Maurice Kenny, author
  • Mary Leaf, basketmaker
  • David R. Maracle, Multi-Instrumentalist, Artist, Carver
  • Derek Miller, singer-songwriter
  • Patricia Monture-Angus, lawyer, activist, educator, and author.
  • Shelley Niro (b. 1954), filmmaker, photographer, and installation artist
  • Richard Oakes, Mohawk activist
  • Ots-Toch, wife of Dutch colonist Cornelius A. Van Slyck
  • Alex Rice, actress
  • Robbie Robertson, singer-songwriter, The Band
  • August Schellenberg, actor
  • Jay Silverheels, actor
  • Skawennati, multimedia artist and curator
  • Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, “Lily of the Mohawks”, a Catholic saint
  • Billy Two Rivers, professional wrestler
  • Taiaiake Alfred, professor and activist.
  • John Norton, Scottish born, adopted into the Mohawk tribe and made an honorary “Pine Tree Chief”

 

 

Article Index:

3 Mohawk Kings and 1 Mahican Indian King in North America

Generally, native americans in what would become the United States and Canada didn’t have royalty such as kings, but there were rare exceptions. There  were three Mohawk chiefs of the Iroquois Confederacy and a Mahican of the Algonquian peoples who were called Kings.

While these four Iroquois were not the first American Indians to visit England (Pocahontas had come in 1616), they were the first to be treated as heads of state. 

Joseph Brant, (Thayendanegea)

Joseph Brant, Indian name Thayendanegea, meaning “he places two bets”(born 1742, on the banks of the Ohio River —died November 24, 1807, near Brantford, Ontario, Canada), was a Mohawk Indian chief who served not only as a spokesman for his people but also as a Christian missionary and a British military officer during the American Revolution (1775–83).