The name in its original language(s) has been given variously as Conotocarius, Conotocaurious, Caunotaucarius, Conotocarious, Hanodaganears, and Hanadahguyus. Nov. 6thBenefit forThe Association of Ramaytush Ohlone Q & A with filmmakers + Jonathan Cordero, chair of Ramaytush Ohlone peoples. 6 vols. His heart is in pain for them; but he percieves that the great God will try his firmness in doing what is right. copy, PHi: Gratz CollectionIndian Commissioners Papers. He's the first and a reluctant first, at that . Privacy Policy This address was signed by the Allegheny Seneca chief, Cornplanter (for an identification, see GW to Timothy Pickering, 4 Sept. 1790), and the minor chiefs Half Town (Gahgeote, Achiout) and Great Tree (Kiandoch-gowa, Big Tree, Big Log, not to be confused with a more important Seneca chief named Big Tree or Great Tree; see Henry Knox to GW, 27 Dec. 1790, n.4). After suffering for nearly two years from Iroquois raids on the Colonies' northern frontier, Washington and Congress decided to strike back. The first U.S. presidential election was held over a period of weeks from December 1788 to January 1789. Chief Cornplanter, who headed the Seneca tribe of the Iroquois, stressed "And to this day when that name is heard, our women look behind them and turn pale, Needless to say, those lamentable future occupiers of the White House are highly accommodating, providing perhaps the most egregious example of Twitlers lack of backbone on any issue save self-interesthe had always been publicly pro-choice, then began waffling, switching sides with a vengeance when it sank in that he needed the pro-life voters to win. A collection of moments during and after Barack Obama's presidency. Its minders at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena demonstrate a very paternal mindset, saying things like Theres energy in its veins, it needs to be given love, and otherwise viewing Oppy more like a genius dog than a technological tool. They called us brothers and invited us to his protection. TOWN DESTROYER happening at Walnut Creek Library - Contra Costa County, 1644 N. Broadway,Walnut Creek,CA,United States, Walnut Creek, United States on Fri Jan 13 2023 at 07:30 pm . MVFF is an acclaimed eleven-day cinema event celebrating the best in US . Conotocaurius (Town Destroyer) was a nickname given to George Washington by Iroquois Native Americans in 1753. David Humphreys Life of General Washington with George Washingtons Remarks. Athens, Ga., 1991. description ends 10). New York, 1970. description ends 174). What the Commissioners had said about the land having been ceded to them at the peace our Chiefs considered only as intended to lessen the price, & they passed it by with very little notice; but since that time we have heard so much of the right to our lands which the King gave when you made peace with him that it is our earnest desire you will tell us what they mean. 'Town Destroyer' contra los indios iroqueses Cuarenta aldeas indgenas, y una poderosa nacin indgena, fueron arrasadas por orden de George Washington Para 1779, George Washington ya se haba ganado el famoso apodo de "Padre de su pas". You then told us we were in your hand & that by closing it you could crush us to nothing; and you demanded of us a great Country as the price of that peace you had offered us; as if our want of strength had destroyed our rights. Conotocaurius (Town Destroyer) was a nickname given to George Washington by Iroquois peoples in 1753. We recollect that you did not promise to punish those who killed our people, and we now ask, Was it intended that your people should kill the Seneccas, and not only remain unpunished by you: but be protected by you against the next of kin?6. What was George Washington's favorite fruit? Staked Plains. Our chiefs were unable to contend at that time, & therefore they sold the Lands up to the line which was then shewn to them as the line of that State. "[8][9], Last edited on 11 February 2023, at 23:33, George Washington: A Biographical Companion, From George Washington to Andrew Montour, 10 October 1755, From George Washington to Major General John Sullivan, 31 May 1779, "Madam Sacho: How One Iroquois Woman Survived the American Revolution", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Town_Destroyer&oldid=1138845464, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 23:33. On display since San Francisco's George Washington High School opened in 1936, it offers a view of the Founding Father both celebratory and critical, referencing his involvements in slavery and Native American genocide. The nickname, Conotocaurius means Destroyer of Towns. In July 2020, Americans are once again divided, gathering in the streets and tearing down statues. Does this promise bind you? Battlegroundhas already had a brief run in theaters, but now is available for streaming on digital platforms including iTunes. US 2022, 55 min, Director: Alan Snitow, Deborah Kaufman, Is arts role to provoke or placate? It will be essential to ruin their crops now in the ground and prevent their planting more., I would recommend, that some post in the center of the Indian Country, should be occupied with all expedition, with a sufficient quantity of provisions whence parties should be detached to lay waste all the settlements around, with instructions to do it in the most effectual manner, that the country may not be merely overrun, but destroyed.. oy. 1890. Paul Chaa, a curator at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C., calls romanticism a form of racism and observes that Americans have a secret obsession with Native Americans.One hundred years ago, D. H. Lawrence noted that white people aimed to extirpate Indians and then glorified them. 1790. Part of Colonial Williamsburg's "Prelude to Victory" weekend. Alan Michelson, Handaga:yas (Town Destroyer), 2019, video, bonded stone Houdon replica bust, antique surveyor's tripod, artificial turf, sound, 190 183 cm. Part One: The one-time economic engine of the 'Harlem of the West' has become an environmental disaster areaand the city isn't taking it seriously. This battle isnt over yet, but no one will blame you for feeling combat fatigue. Others, like the Mohawk, fought with their longstanding allies, the British. The British agent George Beckwith reported to Lord Dorchester from New York on the course of Streets mission, noting that The application of Mr. Street in behalf of the Indians of the Five Nations by means of Mr. Wadsworth has drawn a declaration from the President, expressive of his intentions to pay every attention to the Indians in general, and Mr. Street is assured by General Knox, that his business will be taken into immediate consideration. Beckwith subsequently reported, however, that Mr. Plus: Julian Assange's father comes to Roxie with new doc, Oscar-nominated Irish-language 'Quiet Girl,' more, Plus: 8mm video diaries by late, great local residentGeorge Kuchar and a history of the Laemmle theatre chain, Plus: 'First Fallen" confronts AIDS in Brazil, beguiling mystery in 'Magoado,' Naples thriller 'Nostalgia,' more new movies. (The Iroquois dubbed him "Town Destroyer.") But some present-day students, parents, and observers found those depictions . The founder of the San Francisco Jewish Festival and its director for 13 years, Kaufman teamed up with Alan Snitow, the former news director at KPFA, to make Blacks and Jews in 1997, Secrets of Silicon Valley in 2001, and this year Town Destroyer which premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival. The homeless traveled to Fort Niagara for safety and shelter but found none with the British there. Title to the land in New York west of Seneca Lake was claimed by Massachusetts. tr. When your army entered the Country of the Six Nations, we called you the Town-destroyer and to this day, when that name is heard, our women look behind them and turn pale, and our children cling close to the neck of their mothers.1Our Councillors and warriors are men, and can not be afraid; but their hearts are grieved with the fears of our women Deeming attacks on statues a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children, Trumps rhetoric echoes the description of Native people in the Declaration of Independence as merciless Indian savages. The story focuses on a dispute over historic murals depicting the life of George Washington: slaveowner, general, land speculator, President, and a man Seneca leaders called "Town Destroyer" after he ordered their villages destroyed during the Revolutionary War. Archives. He suggests that Arnautoffs work ought to be preserved, not destroyed and used as a vehicle to teach students about both the past and the present. All Events This event has passed. In recent times, probably no San Francisco news story has traveled as far or as wide as the story about Victor Arnautoffs murals which subvert the myths and depict the life of George Washington as a foe of the Iroquois and an owner of Black slaves. They told us he resided beyond the great waters where the sun first rises: That he was a King whose power no people could resist, and that his goodness was bright as that sun. . The name in its original language(s) has been given variously as Caunotaucarius, Conotocarious, Hanodaganears, and Hanadahguyus. You must log in or register to reply here. fort Stanwix, commissioners from Pensylvania, told our chiefs, that they had come there to purchase from us, all the Lands belonging to us within the lines of their State, and they told us that their line would strike the river Susquehanna below Tioga branch. Cart, Become a Member Sr William Johnson came and took that Fort from the French; he became our father and promised to take care of us and did so till you were too strong for his King. A Seneca leader named Tanacharison called Washington HandaganyasTown Destroyer.. An Arab stallion with a light grey . However, theres one thing almost everyone will agree on: After seeing the film, you will most likely be jonesing to see Arnautoffs magnum opus in person, because it looks quite stunning. They then left us to consider the bargain till the next day. OK, Ill admit it: I am a wee bit allergic to just this sort of Science made cute exercise, in which actual Mars discoveries take a backseat to contrived, very human dramatics. When Seymour Hersh Strained to Keep Up With CounterPunch, Nichole Stephens, Administrative Assistant. 1.By GWs account the name Towntaker (variously rendered as Town-destroyer) was bestowed upon him by the Seneca chief Half-King in 1753, when he met that chief on his way to Fort Le Boeuf. On the next day we let them know, that we were unwilling to sell all the Lands within their State, and proposed to let them have a part of it which we pointed to them in their map. If you want to leave all these Earthly woes behind, there is warm, fuzzy and interplanetary comfort to be found inGood Night Oppy. Courtesy: JASON SZENES/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock. We were deceived but your people in teaching us to confide in that King, had helped to deceve us and wnow appeale to your hearts. But the issue was more complex than that, with painfully strong feelings on all sides, many of whose participants more typically found themselves on thesameside. Another local, Reid Davenport, is both director and star ofI Didnt See You Therealthough we do not, in fact, see him onscreen. To this day, "Town Destroyer" is still used as an Iroquois name for the president of the United States. Washington referred to himself as "Conotocaurious" in a letter he wrote to Andrew Montour dated October 10, 1755, in which he tried to manipulate the Oneida to resettle on the Potomac: In 1779 during the American Revolutionary War, the Sullivan Expedition, under Washington's orders,[6] destroyed over 40 Iroquois villages in New York, partially in response to Iroquois participation in attacks on the Wyoming Valley in July 1778 and Cherry Valley in November 1778. In the American Revolutionary War, General Washington led Patriot forces to victory over the British and their allies. copy, MHi: Timothy Pickering Papers; It also opens Fri/4 at the Roxie, with some screenings attended by Davenport and producer Keith Wilson. The father of his country massacred men, women and children. [7] In 1790, the Seneca chief Cornplanter told President Washington: "When your army entered the country of the Six Nations, we called you Town Destroyer and to this day when your name is heard our women look behind them and turn pale, and our children cling close to the necks of their mothers. It opens in area theaters Fri/4, then begins streaming on Amazon Prime Nov. 23. UCLA Professor Kelley adds that its not about choosing sides and that no one person or group can tell the story.. And at this moment his wife and children are lying on the Ground in want of food. Snitow and Kaufman try to walk a fine line and to offer a balanced perspective in their 58-minute documentary which includes on camera interviews with well known historians such as UCLA Professor Robin D. G. Kelley, plus famed San Francisco muralist Dewey Crumpler, along with community activists, local political figures, members of Indians tribes close to home and from far away. Jonah Raskin is the author of Beat Blues, San Francisco, 1955. More info here. The name in its original language(s) has been given variously as Conotocarius , Conotocaurious , Caunotaucarius , Conotocarious , Hanodaganears , and Hanadahguyus . He demanded it: He insisted on his demand and declared that he would have it all. If art (or history) is altered to blunt painful truths, isnt that dishonesty, whether coming from the political left or right? (The Iroquois dubbed him "Town Destroyer.") 1890. These questions and many more were the subject of hot debate when Victor Arnautoffs thirteen-panel mural The Life of Washington became an object of local controversy, then a media firestorm. Would You Pay to Live in Facebooks Metaverse? But before we speak to you of this, we Why does Cornplanter bring this up? and therefore weak as our nation was, they determined to take the chance of war rather than submit to such unjust demands, which seemed to have no bounds. California Indian Artist Judith Lowry describes the Gold Rush as ground zero for Native Americans and a time when they experienced searing losses.She adds that Arnautoff aimed to subvert the dominant narrative about Indians, pioneers and settlers. with filmmakers Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman"Town Destroyer the Art of Controversy". America's love affair with mass murderers has a long history - whether it unfolds as empathizing with Ted Bundy or as the canonization of town destroyer George Washington as a founding father . es. A dispute erupts at a San Francisco high school over Depression-era murals about the life of George Washington: slaveowner, military leader, land speculator, President, and a man Native leaders. Town Destroyer A high profile battle erupts over images of African American slaves and Native Americans in New Deal-era murals at a San Francisco high school. A Living New Deal Webinar. Main Image:Washington Square Park Arc, 2020. Police funding, tax cuts, and spending equity will be on the table as the supes take on a brutal budget season. Through its grants program, the NHPRC supports a wide range of activities to Yet to this day, the Iroquois (more properly, the Haudenosaunee) call Washington Conotocaurius, or "Town Destroyer." His army razed their well-constructed, permanent villages and laid waste to huge quantities of their food. In the fall of 1753, as French forces moved into the Ohio Valley to build a series of forts, George Washington offered his services to the Governor of Virginia as an envoy to carry a message to the French commander Jacques Le Gardeur. Following the 2017 clashes at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Trump presciently observed: So, this week its Robert E. Lee [] I wonder, is it George Washington next week [] Thomas Jefferson the week after [] Where does it stop? The short answer is that it doesnt stop until the US contends not only with its history of slavery but also its history of dispossession. To Natives, Washington was both the "Great White Father" and "Conotocarious," which means "Town Destroyer" or "Devourer of . The Onondaga and the Haudenosaunee saw the colonists growing and uniting to become a new government called the United States of America. Non Military History of the War of the Rebellion. Conotocaurious - Iroquois for Town Destroyer, also translated as Town Taker, Burner of Towns, or Devourer of Villages, was a nickname given to George Washington by Iroquois Indians. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. It is an ideology that has been so thoroughly internalized that it has never prompted a national reckoning. Filmmaker Alan Snitow stands in front of an audience after a screening of the film Town Destroyer at the Little Roxie Theater in San Francisco Calif., on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. JOURNAL OF LIEUT. texts. The current dispute over monuments in the US is not new. We are community supported journalism. Conotocaurious(Town Destroyer) was a nicknamegiven to George Washingtonby IroquoisNative Americansin 1753. Bay Guardian Archives Not all U.S. presidents are missed once they leave the White House. Derryveagh Evictions, and Now Arnautoffs Works Progress Administration murals were being decried for depicting slavery and tribal genocide at all, something now criticized as triggering. This devastating history has been papered over with myth, in a familiar national narrative established by writers such as James Fenimore Cooper, whose father, like Washington, was a successful speculator in Native land. Just an hour long, Snitow and Kaufmans documentary offers a fascinating overview of a case that encapsulates many of the bitterest divisions of our era. On June 4, 1779, the General of the Revolutionary Army, George Washington, violated the treaty and ordered the invasion of the territory of the Iroquois confederation.