Have you heard this one before?
Three Mohawks and A Mohican walk into a royal court, and they were made KINGS. They showed up to make sure the Queen was doing right by the Onkwehonwe allies.
Having survived the six to eight-week crossing by ship, The four men would have appeared as beacons of health and strength, the likes that most had never seen. The ensuing fanfare was not enough to allow important matters to be forgotten.
The Queen Anne War was interfering with Onkwehonwe lands and the Kayanerekowa since her accession to the throne in 1702. It was among many in a series of “French and British” wars; in all reality, these wars had nothing to do with Onkwehonwe but were merely happening within our territories.
In 1710 the man who arranged the voyage was Kwiter (Peter) Shuyler, The first official mayor of Albany turned Governor of New York and brother to the official “Mohawk” Translator. He was also a military man, having led several earlier notable battles against the French and their Mohawks.
To ensure that the spokesmen were equal parts, savage and savant, they were given clothing by a theatrical assistant and offered the finest materials. Royal treatment was bestowed to the guest to ensure success on the British side of the war.
The separation of the Kanienkahaka families as French Allie’s was devastating, and petitions to come home by the Kanyenkahaka families as British Allies caused a great deal of distress for the nation. These efforts further caused tremendous unrest for both warring countries’ statesmen and missionaries alike, who were only vying for territorial assets control.
With all the pomp, circumstance and grave misinterpretations of language, Onkwehonwe survival in peace has always balanced our exception to war.