A Democratic Influence

Look on the back of a one-dollar bill, and you will find the Great Seal of the United States.

- Joan Hunt

It reveals the Founding Fathers’ respect for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Just as a bald eagle sits as a lookout atop the Haudenosaunee Tree of Peace, a bald eagle appears on the U.S. bill. The concept of a cluster of arrows representing a strong union of individuals also originated with the Haudenosaunee. Seeking unity among the original Five Nations, the Peacemaker demonstrated how a single arrow was easily broken but many arrows bound together were not. The Haudenosaunee example of how unity could work influenced various American colonists who got to know them.

Getting to Know Each Other

Conrad Weiser was 17 years old when he went to live with the Mohawks in New York in the 1720s. Chief Quagnant taught him their language and customs. Weiser saw for himself the value of Haudenosaunee statesmanship. For nearly 17 years after his stay with the Mohawks, he helped negotiate treaties in Pennsylvania between the Haudenosaunee and the American colonists.

The Mohawks also adopted Irish merchant William Johnson. Johnson lived in New York. He became friends with Theyanoguin, a Mohawk leader known as Chief Hendrick. Johnson moved freely between Mohawk and colonial communities. In addition to being an advisor to the Haudenosaunee, he eventually became British Superintendent of Indian Affairs. In that role, he oversaw the relationship between the British and Native Americans who lived north of the Ohio River.

Making the Case for Unity