Street the great trader at Niagara was then with us having come at the request of Phelps, and as he always professed to be our great friend we consulted him on this subject; He also told us, that our Lands had been ceded by the King and that we must give them up.5. Conotocaurious (Town Destroyer) was a nickname given to George Washington by Iroquois Native Americans in 1753. The surviving Onondaga were homeless; some began to rebuild; some headed west to find shelter with their brother nations the Cayuga and Seneca. What is role of the artist in reflecting America to itself? Matt Dorsey, who wants to deport Fentanyl dealers, blocks approval, as 10 board members say his approach is deeply misguided. We asked each other what we had done to deserve such severe chastisement. copy, MHi: Timothy Pickering Papers; He signed the message "Conotocarious," or Town Devourer. Gen, George Washington meets with representatives of the Iroquois nation before departing for Y. Lowry offers the somber notion that well have to have this debate for another couple of decades before the issue is resolved. Maybe so. They became our fathers, and took care of us. Town Destroyeran anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist film is likely to stir up all over again fundamental issues about censorship, trauma, genocide and ethnicity. The name in its original language(s) has been given variously as Conotocarius, Conotocaurious, Caunotaucarius, Conotocarious, Hanodaganears, and Hanadahguyus. This resulted in a companion mural from African American artist Dewey Crumpler, entitledMulti-Ethnic Heritage, being commissioned for an adjacent corridor. The Indian World of George Washington | AMERICAN HERITAGE TOWN DESTROYER | CAFILM EDUCATION CURRICULUM GUIDE by MVFF - Issuu 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. When you kindled your thirteen fires seperately, the wise men The first U.S. presidential election was held over a period of weeks from December 1788 to January 1789. 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. In the summer of 1788 Livingston accompanied Phelps to a meeting with the Seneca chiefs at Buffalo Creek, and on 8 July Phelps concluded an agreement to purchase the Indian rights to the eastern third of the area purchased from Massachusetts (Livermore, Early American Land Companies, description begins Shaw Livermore. If you thought you could now talk calmly about Victor Arnautoff and his art, Americans Indians and George Washington, think again. The elder Washington's reputation was remembered and when they met his great-grandson in 1753 they called George Washington by the same name, Conotocarious.[2][3]. A Seneca leader named Tanacharison called Washington HandaganyasTown Destroyer.. 1788-89 United States presidential election [ edit] Washington is inaugurated as president of the United States in 1789. 48hills.org is the official publication of the non-profit San Francisco Progressive Media Center. George Washington High's Murals and "Town Destroyer" - Murals and 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.1 Our Councillors and warriors are men, and can not be afraid; but their hearts are grieved with the fears of our women & children, and desire, that it may be buried so deep, as to be heard no more. Conotocaurius ( Town Destroyer, Seneca: Handaganyas) was a nickname given to George Washington by Iroquois peoples in 1753. AI Chatbots are Even Scarier Than You Think, DeSantiss Educational Policies Come Right Out of the Fascist Playbook, Erase the Memory to Erase a People? For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Town Destroyer contextualizes this fight within a landscape where similar battles are occurring (like over Confederate monuments), though often for different reasons. Staked Plains. that the King had ceded the lands to the thirteen fires, The Papers of George Washington, Confederation Series, David Humphreys Life of General Washington,, David Humphreys Life of General Washington with George Washingtons Remarks., Early American Land Companies: Their Influence on Corporate Development, Report on Canadian Archives . When George Washington High Schooldesigned by architect Timothy Pfleuger, who also created the Castro and Paramount Theaters, among other landmarksopened in 1936, its hallways sported 13 impressive murals titledThe Life of Washington. 'Town Destroyer' Versus the Iroquois Indians - US News & World Report During the American Revolution, some Mohawks led by Joseph Brant chose to fight with the British and to defend the Proclamation Line. The film highlights the debate about controversial murals at George Washington High School. George Washington (February 22, 1732 - December 14, 1799) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America and served as the nation's first president (1789-1797). An installation of video projected onto a bust of George Washington mounted on a surveyor's tripod. 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. Screen Grabs: 'Town Destroyer' dives into the George Washington Murals This is the skeleton of Napoleon Bonaparte's favourite steed, "Marengo". Great Tree was shot in the leg during his stay in Philahdelphia (Wallace, Death and Rebirth of the Seneca, description begins Anthony F. C. Wallace. At least thats the impression we get from this very slick package, which numbers Spielbergs production company among its makers and isnt so far in cuddly tone from hisE.T. In a letter written by tribal leaders in 1790, Washington is described as an unjust killer and referred to as the "Town Destroyer." Crops such as corn, beans, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, and melons grew in an abundance that astonished the invading soldiers. To Natives, Washington was both the "Great White Father" and "Conotocarious," which means "Town Destroyer" or "Devourer of . (The Iroquois dubbed him "Town Destroyer.") We mean to open our hearts before you, and we earnestly desire, that you will let us clearly understand, what you resolve to do. ), Timothy Pickering to GW, 4 Dec. 1790, n.6, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-07-02-0005, From Washington to Seneca Chiefs [29 December 1790], All correspondence between Washington and Seneca Chiefs, National Historical Publications and r e. s w. w. w. Tow. 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. 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. Advertise TOWN DESTROYER | Walnut Creek Library - Contra Costa County | January The following year, he received a letter. George Washington: Father of His Country? Allegedly both George Washington and his Great Grandfather, John Washington shared an unusual nickname. Nov. 6thBenefit forThe Association of Ramaytush Ohlone Q & A with filmmakers + Jonathan Cordero, chair of Ramaytush Ohlone peoples. Become a 48 Hills Hero and support the only daily progressive news source in the Bay Area. The supreme executive council of Pennsylvania had informed Cornplanter and the other Seneca chiefs on 30 Oct. 1790 that Screen Grabs: 'Town Destroyer' dives into the George Washington Supes fail by one vote to approve Sanctuary City resolution that challenges ICE, Biden, Herb Greenes 60s Haight-Ashbury shots immortalize era, Grace Slicks bird, The tragic toxic legacy of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, Screen Grabs: Of Cocaine Bears and Jesus freaks, Screen Grabs: WinterFest brings Ukrainian kids, artificial shtetls, orthodox drama, Screen Grabs: Noise Pop Film Fest brings space bubbles, rap spoofs, toxic New Wave fans, Budget Chair Chan prepares for serious challenges to mayors budget priorities, Best of the Bay 2022 Editors Pick: Red Poppy Art House. Revered and reviled: George Washington's relationship with Indian Upon this threat our Chiefs Phelps (17491809) was a Massachusetts merchant, politician, and large-scale land speculator. Devourer of Towns | H-AmIndian | H-Net George Washington's favorite native fruit is ripe in the HFH orchard >> the pawpaw. receive for his endeavors to deceive us, a peice of land ten miles in width west of the Chenesco river, and near forty miles in length extending to lake Ontario; and the lines of this tract have been run accordingly tho no part of it is within the bounds which limit his purchase. The name in its original language(s) has been given variously as Conotocarius, Conotocaurious, Caunotaucarius, Conotocarious, Hanodaganears, and Hanadahguyus. In his general perspective and frequent logistical frustrations, his movie provides a challenge to the complacency of the able-bodied, and a chance to experience a very different relationship towards the external world. to GW, 15 Aug. 1789, note 1. In sentence 4 Cornplanter's reference to Washington as "the Town-destroyer" recalls a time during the American Revolution (1779) when he ordered the burning of Seneca villages. Gil Herkimer Roads to Niagara Year 2000 Categories: facts, texts Updated:May 29, 2004 Share on TwitterFacebookLinkedInPreviousNext Many Haudenosaunee froze or starved to death that winter. It is just to punish murder with death, but the Seneccas will not deliver up their people to men, who disregard the treaties of their own nation. The nickname, Conotocaurius means Destroyer of Towns. 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 . held a Council and they agreed that no event of war could be worse than being driven with our wives & children from the only Country which we had any right to. Does this promise bind you? Alan Michelson is a Mohawk artist and a member of Six Nations of the Grand River. All the Lands we have been speaking of belonged to the Six Nations: no part of it ever belonged to the King of England, and he could not give it to you. On 1 April 1788 that state sold the preemptive rights to these six million acres to Nathaniel Gorham and Oliver Phelps. Our Chiefs had felt your power & were unable to contend against you and they therefore gave up that Country. remains uncertain. Crushed power. When the Ronald Reagan arrived to replace the George Washington in 2015 . TOWN DESTROYER - Sullivan-Clinton Campaign We see groups of collegiate women who travel to a D.C. March for Life in January 2020 to save the babies. They demand equal rights for unborn humans, hoping not just that abortion will become illegal, but abortion will become unthinkable. Organizations like Students for Life of America and the Susan B. Anthony List are very well-organized, and there is no questioning the earnestness of their members. He loves peace, and all that he had in store he has given to those who have been robbed by your people, lest they should plunder the innocent to repay themselves: the whole season which others employed in providing for their families, he has spent in his endeavors to preserve peace. To him we gave four miles round Niagara, as a place of Trade. After some days he proposed to run a line at a small distance Eastward of our western boundary which we also refused to agree to. According to its production company: "TOWN DESTROYER explores how to look at art and history at a time of polarized national debate over the power of images, racism, trauma, and what . He's the first and a reluctant first, at that . "[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. His great-grandson lived up to the name of Town Destroyer in his treatment of Indigenous nations both during and after the Revolutionary War (177583). (Being an Appendix to Report of the Minister of Agriculture.). All three had participated in the Iroquois campaigns during the Revolution; Cornplanter as a principal war chief and the others as head warriors. 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. The brutal 1778 Cherry Valley Massacre prompted a wide-ranging punitive expedition that broke Iroquois power. As a Mohawk citizen of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy the oldest living democracy in the Western Hemisphere when I see statues of Washington, like the towering equestrian monument at the Virginia Capitol in Richmond, or the colossus in front of Federal Hall in New York, I see not only a founding father, but also a genocidal one. Cynthia LowensBattlegroundoffers some insight on that score. "And to this day when that name is heard, our women look behind them and turn pale, and our children cling close to the necks of their mothers," Cornplanter said. If art (or history) is altered to blunt painful truths, isnt that dishonesty, whether coming from the political left or right? What are George Washington's nicknames? - Quora History of Relations with our Brothers: 1613 to Today, Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), MAGAZINE OF SMITHSONIANS NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN. The Iroquois Confederacy, arguably the strongest Indian government during the colonial period, would never recover. Answer (1 of 4): The most famous nickname (really, more of an honorary title) associated with George Washington was The Father of His Country. At the time Cornplanter and the other Seneca presented their address to GW, Phelps was in Philadelphia negotiating with Robert Morris about selling the preemption rights to the residual four million acres of the Phelps-Gorham purchase. On 29 Oct. 1790 these chiefs appeared before the supreme executive council of Pennsylvania, seeking redress for a number of wrongs allegedly committed against the Seneca. They were men and when at peace had a right to live on the Earth. Many expressed distress at the revelation. Dennis Harvey. Victor Arnautoff was one of the most prolific artists in San Francisco. In April 1779, the colonial army attacked the capital of the Haudenosaunee, the Onondaga Nation. "When your army entered the country of the Six Nations, we called you Hanadagyas (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 necks of their mothers. The name in its original language(s) has been given variously as "Caunotaucarius", "Conotocarious", "Hanodaganears", and "Hanadahguyus." It is translated as "Town Taker", "Burner of Towns", "Devourer of Villages", or "he destroys the town". New York, 1939. description ends 197203). 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. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. For over 8 miles south of Onondaga Lake, the colonial army followed the orders of General Washington killing and burning. Charlottesville, Va., 199297. The Proposed TikTok Ban Goes Too Far. He told the council of the murder of the husband of his wifes sister by a white man four years earlier, the robbery of his company at Cat Fish (Washington, Pa.) while returning from the treaty at Fort Harmar in early 1789, and the murder of his nephew by a white man in the winter of 178990 (Pa. Archives, description begins Samuel Hazard et al., eds. Would doing so be a redaction of history, identity politics gone off the railsor a justified blow to a lingering American colonized mentality as well as ongoing traumatization of young minds? ERKURIES BEATTY, OF THE 4TH PENN LINE. tr. Courtesy: JASON SZENES/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock. 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. The Seneca address was transmitted to Henry Knox for report; Knox replied on 27 Dec. 1790 with a report on the Seneca address and a draft of GWs reply (see Knox to GW, 27 Dec. 1790). Town Destroyer examines how a changing society should reckon with George Washington is called "The Father of our Nation" and by some "Cincinnatus" but the Iroquois had a nickname for him as well "Conotocaurius"(Town Destroyer) We talk about the Indian wars of the late 19th century but the late 18th century had Indian wars too and George Washington was the man behind it George Washington had complicated relationships with Native Americans. From George Washington to Major General John Sullivan, 31 May 1779, Simeon DeWitt Central NY Military Tract c.1792. Sun. While there he met with Alexander McGillivray in August in an effort to enlist the Creek leader in a common effort to obtain a settlement with the United States but was rebuffed. Town Destroyer - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia We will not join either side. What they said went to the bottom of our hearts: We accepted the invitation and promised to obey him. In 2018, he installed Mantle, a monument honouring Indigenous nations at the Virginia Capitol in Richmond. Report on Canadian Archives . In retrospect, no one should be surprised: Trump is exactly the sort of person who will always be able to get an unwanted pregnancy handled, legally or not, as People With Money always have. On this edition of Your Call, we rebroadcast our discussion about Town Destroyer, a documentary that focuses on murals at San Francisco's George Washington High School, which praise Washington and critically depict him overseeing his slaves and directing the bloody seizure of Native lands. 5.Samuel Street, reportedly born in New England, kept a store at Niagara. Early American Land Companies: Their Influence on Corporate Development. For GWs reply, see GW to the Seneca Chiefs, 29 Dec. 1790. It is interesting to see close-up the strategizing of such groups, including their straight-up asking citizens to be single-issue voters, even if they have to hold their noses in pulling the lever for last-minute ally Trump. Every tax-deductible donation helps us grow to cover the issues that mean the most to our community. By Josh Sippie / July 27, 2022 11:39 pm EST. To this day, "Town Destroyer" is still used as an Iroquois name for the president of the United States. Thus he claimed the whole country North of Pensylvania and west of the Lands belonging to the Cayugas. are back withTown Destroyer, which premiered at the Mill Valley Festival last month. It also opens Fri/4 at the Roxie, with some screenings attended by Davenport and producer Keith Wilson. Documentary TOWN DESTROYER Screening and Q&A with the Filmakers His heart is in pain for them; but he percieves that the great God will try his firmness in doing what is right. The first screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and special guests to be announced. It also illuminates a work of. We are community supported journalism. By August, the expedition was moving through Iroquois country, meeting almost no resistance. To some, the brouhaha confirmed a stereotype of SF as the kingdom of liberal snowflakes who experience a meltdown at anything potentially troubling. Though we do visit Davenports family in Connecticut, we do not get a lot of insight into him as an individual. I Didnt Seeis more philosophical than biographical, a meditation on an apart-ness the filmmaker grapples with on numerous levels (including I wonder if I feel more than other people). You must log in or register to reply here. Mural That Helped Ignite School Board Recall Inspires Debate Town Destroyer, also translated as Town Taker, Burner of Towns, or Devourer of Villages, was a nickname given to George Washington by Iroquois Indians. Note: The annotations to this document, and any other This battle isnt over yet, but no one will blame you for feeling combat fatigue. George Washington and the Iroquois - YouTube The Expedition you are appointed to command is to be directed against the hostile tribes of the Six Nations of Indians, with their associates and adherents. 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. copy, DNA: RG 233, First Congress, 17891791, Records of the Office of the Clerk, Records of Reports from Executive Departments (War Department), Confidential Reports; Revisiting George Washington's assault on the Haudenosaunee 240 Years During George Washington's presidency, Indian delegates were regular visitors to the seat of government. . On George Washington, Destroyer of Towns - Anarres Project for We could bear this confusion no longer, & determined to press thro every difficulty, and lift up our voice that you might hear us, and to claim that security in the possession of our lands which your commissioners so solemly promised us, and we now entreat you to enquire into our complaints and redress our wrongs. But the conflict revealed particularly ugly ideological divides, as amply shown inTown Destroyer. 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. Plus: 'I Didn't See You There' on disability, 'Battleground' on abortion, and 'Good Night Oppy' on cute little Mars rovers. The National Historical Publications and Longtime Bay Area documentarians Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman interview historians, artists, activists, and GWHS students to probe a fascinating microcosm of todays culture wars. "Town Destroyer" is a translation of the name given to George Washington by the Iroquois nation after he demanded the total destruction of their settlement and crops in a 1779 attack against the tribe that was aligned with the British. . Jimmy Carter is a Liberal Saint Now, Was a War Criminal Then. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy. 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. Its like a midpoint betweenWall-Eand those old Disney True-Life Adventures, which manipulated nature footage into sentimental narrative shapes. You have said we were in your hand, and that by closing it, you could crush us to nothing. In 2019, he had a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA. There are passionate arguments on both sides, and they are not as simply divided by racial, cultural, or political identification as youd think. But most of the pro-lifers here seem to sincerely concur with such concepts as having a baby is more of a way to empower women. (Like every other abortion critic, however, these nice people never, ever mention mens responsibility in the matter.).