Oriskany:Aplace of Great Sadness Amohawk Valley Battelfield Ethnography
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Ethnography Program Northeast Region ORISKANY:APLACE OF GREAT SADNESS AMOHAWK VALLEY BATTELFIELD ETHNOGRAPHY FORT STANWIX NATIONAL MONUMENT SPECIAL ETHNOGRAPHIC REPORT ORISKANY: A PLACE OF GREAT SADNESS A Mohawk Valley Battlefield Ethnography by Joy Bilharz, Ph.D. With assistance from Trish Rae Fort Stanwix National Monument Special Ethnographic Report Northeast Region Ethnography Program National Park Service Boston, MA February 2009 The title of this report was provided by a Mohawk elder during an interview conducted for this project. It is used because it so eloquently summarizes the feelings of all the Indians consulted. Cover Photo: View of Oriskany Battlefield with the 1884 monument to the rebels and their allies. 1996. Photograph by Joy Bilharz. ExEcuTivE SuMMARy The Mohawk Valley Battlefield Ethnography Project was designed to document the relationships between contemporary Indian peoples and the events that occurred in central New York during the mid to late eighteenth century. The particular focus was Fort Stanwix, located near the Oneida Carry, which linked the Mohawk and St. Lawrence Rivers via Wood Creek, and the Oriskany Battlefield. Because of its strategic location, Fort Stanwix was the site of several critical treaties between the British and the Iroquois and, following the American Revolution, between the latter and the United States. This region was the homeland of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy whose neutrality or military support was desired by both the British and the rebels during the Revolution. The Battle of Oriskany, 6 August 1777, occurred as the Tryon County militia, aided by Oneida warriors, was marching to relieve the British siege of Ft. Stanwix. Within a few miles of the fort it was ambushed by a British force comprised primarily of Indian warriors, most of whom were Senecas and Mohawks, and, like the Oneidas members of the Iroquois Confederacy. Among the project’s ethnographic objectives was to determine if there were oral histories of either the battle or the treaties which could balance the ethnocentric eighteenth century documents. Descendants of participants in those events were to be identified and their concerns and interests about the sites documented. This information could then be used by site managers to provide more accurate and culturally appropriate interpretations to the public and to inform management decisions. Another objective was to open lines of communication between park managers and Indian nations and individuals that would become part of an ongoing collaborative process. In addition to the ethnographic research, an archival component was designed to develop a history of the events surrounding the siege and battle as recorded in primary sources. Because the bulk of the Indian warriors were Iroquois, the first phase of the project focused exclusively on contemporary Iroquois peoples in the United States and Canada. During the course of the archival research it became apparent that other Indian nations were also represented at the battle and siege and the second phase, with similar objectives, focused on the Mississaugas, Hurons/Wyandots, Ottawas, Potawatomies, and Chippewas. i Executive Summary No significant oral histories of either the battle or the siege were found. We believe that this is a reflection of both the length of time elapsed and the massive relocations and traumas that occurred as a result of the Revolution. Interest was greatest among the Oneidas and Mohawks as the area is closest to their traditional homelands. Familiarity with the battle was much less among non-Iroquois who nevertheless eagerly sought what information we could give them about their ancestors’ participation. Attempts to identify descendants of particular warriors were unsuccessful due to restrictions on the use of tribal enrollment records. For the Iroquois it is reasonable to assume that all contemporary people have some ancestral connection. Community consultants who had visited Fort Stanwix National Monument were unanimous and outspoken in their objections to the orientation film then shown at the fort because it ignored the roles played by Indian warriors, dismissing them as “savages.” (The film was withdrawn within a few months of the receipt of the final report of the project’s first phase). The primary management concern expressed by both Iroquois and non-Iroquois was for the protection of both the battlefield and the bodies that remain buried there, even though they are most likely those of the militia. Concern was expressed that the site was not adequately protected from treasure hunters seeking artifacts or bones. There was strong, though not unanimous, opposition to any attempts to locate bodies or any activities at the site that might result in disturbance of burials. For the Iroquois, Oriskany is a sacred site where events contrary to the Great Law occurred. Divisions between Oneidas and other members of the Confederacy which erupted into armed conflict at the battle have had ramifications lasting to the present day. As the Iroquois nations seek to reaffirm their prehistoric and historic ties, any glorification of the site or the events that occurred would be inappropriate. For many years it has been a place where private rituals were held for those who fell. It is “a place of great sadness” that should remain a place for remembrance and reflection. The ongoing historical and cultural importance of Oriskany Battlefield to Iroquois people mandates that its documentation for the National Register of Historic Places be updated to include recognition as a Traditional Cultural Property. ii TABlE oF coNTENTS Executive Summary ....................................................................................i List of Maps and Figures ............................................................................. v Acknowledgements ................................................................................. vii Forward .................................................................................................xi Chapter One: Introduction ..........................................................................1 Terminology ..................................................................................5 Chapter Two: Methodology .........................................................................9 Field Research ................................................................................9 Difficulties Encountered ............................................................11 Archival Research ...........................................................................13 Chapter Three : The Ethnohistory of the Battle of Oriskany ................................19 The Iroquois and Others in New York .................................................19 The Iroquois ...........................................................................19 Sir William Johnson ..................................................................22 The Provincial Elite: The Delanceys and the Livingstons ....................24 The Others .............................................................................25 The Road to Oriskany .....................................................................27 The Confederacy Council Fire is Covered/Extinguished ....................29 The Plan of Invasion .................................................................31 Encounter at Unadilla ...............................................................37 The Council at Oswego ..............................................................42 The Siege Begins ......................................................................49 The Battle .....................................................................................51 The Aftermath .........................................................................58 The “Western Indians” and the Mississaugas .........................................67 The “Western Indians” ..............................................................67 The St. Leger Campaign .............................................................71 The Mississaugas ......................................................................81 Chapter Four: Contemporary Indians and Oriskany Battlefield ............................87 The Ethnographic Research ..............................................................87 Introduction and Methodology ...................................................87 iii Table of Contents Historical Summary ..................................................................88 Background for Recommendations .....................................................89 Consultation ...........................................................................89 Value of the Ethnohistory of the Battle and the Lack of Oral Tradition ...90 Familiarity with/Interest in the Historical Sites .................................91 The Fort Stanwix National Monument Orientation Film ....................92 Documenting the Historical and Cultural Importance of the Sites to American Indians ..................................................................93 Future Preservation and Treatment of the Battlefield .........................93 Cultural Values Associated with the Battlefield .................................99 Archival Center ......................................................................101 Recommendations ........................................................................101 Phase I: Introduction