Not a Chief: The Real Truth About Joseph Brant’s ‘Title’
Joseph Brant: Warrior, Diplomat… Chief?
The truth behind a title.Joseph Brant - Thayendanegea.
He’s remembered as a hero, a scholar, a fierce Mohawk leader.
But one thing needs to be said clearly:
He was not a traditional chief.
He wasn’t a Royaner, not appointed by Clan Mothers, not chosen through the Great Law of Peace.
He was educated by European missionaries, fluent in English, and loyal to the British Crown. He fought bravely. He traveled to London. He advocated for his people in ways he thought were right.
And many still believe he was doing the best he could with what he had.
But good intentions don’t erase consequences.
In bypassing traditional governance,
In making decisions without consensus,
In speaking for the Confederacy through a colonial lens,
Brant stepped outside the circle.
Later, he was loosely referred to as a “Pine Tree Chief”
a role meant for people raised up by the people, with ceremony and consent.
Brant had neither.
He could sit in council.
But he could not speak for it.
Not unless the women gave him that voice, and they didn’t.
Still, the Crown loved him.
Because he spoke their language.
Because he signed the papers.
Because he gave them what they wanted, and he gave them, loyalty, and leverage.
🔥 Truth from the Ashes:
He was a brilliant man in a broken time.
But he was not a chief.
And he did not speak for the Longhouse.
✍️ Author’s Note:
I’m writing this for myself, for the record I never got to read.
For the truth that doesn’t get carved into monuments.
For the silence between what we were taught and what we carry.
#RedTapeRedTruths
#JosephBrant
#HaudenosauneeHistory
#LandBack
#DecolonizeTheNarrative
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