Covenant Chain facts for kids
The Covenant Chain was a series of important alliances and agreements. These were made mostly during the 1600s. They were between the Iroquois Confederacy (also called Haudenosaunee) and the British colonies in North America. Other Native American tribes also joined in.
These agreements started in the New York area. This was a time when there was a lot of fighting and trouble for both the colonists and Native Americans. The English and Iroquois leaders worked together to create peace and stability. This helped them keep their trade going. They also talked about where colonists could settle. They tried to stop violence between colonists and tribes, and even among the tribes themselves. This chain of agreements stretched from New England down to the Colony of Virginia.
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History of the Covenant Chain
The idea of the Covenant Chain is shown in the Two Row Wampum belt. This belt belongs to the Iroquois, who are also known as the Haudenosaunee. The first agreements were made in the early 1600s. They were between Dutch settlers in New Netherland (which is now New York) and the Five Nations of the Iroquois. The main goal was to trade with the Native Americans. Historians say that both Dutch and English colonies were first set up to make money.
During the Beaver Wars in the 1600s, the Iroquois conquered other tribes. They took over new hunting grounds. They also took captives to add to their own populations. Their numbers had gone down because of wars and new European diseases. Tribes in New England suffered even more. The Iroquois grew their influence. They conquered or moved other tribes from Maritime Canada west to the Mississippi Valley. Their influence also reached from the Canadian Shield south to the Ohio Valley.
When the English took over New Netherland in 1664, they renamed it the Province of New York. They then renewed these agreements with the Iroquois. Conflicts broke out in New England during King Philip's War in 1675. This was a very destructive war in North America during the 1600s. More than 600 colonists and 3,000 Native Americans died. Around the same time, Bacon's Rebellion happened in Virginia. Both wars caused a lot of suffering for everyone involved.
Because of their strong relationship with the Iroquois, New York's Governor Sir Edmund Andros asked them for help. In August 1675, he wanted them to help end the fighting in New England and the Chesapeake area. He worked with Daniel Garacontié, an Onondaga leader.
The name "Covenant Chain" comes from a special idea. It's like a silver chain holding an English ship to the Iroquois Tree of Peace. This tree was in the Onondaga Nation. A three-link silver chain was made to show their first agreement. These links stood for "Peace, Friendship, and Respect" between the Haudenosaunee and the British Crown. It was also the first written treaty to use phrases like:
- ...as long as the sun shines upon the earth;
- as long as the waters flow;
- as long as the grass grows green, peace will last.
Important Agreements
Several treaties were signed that brought more tribes and colonies into the Covenant Chain:
- A 1676 treaty was made between the Mohawk nation and the colonies of Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut. This treaty helped end King Philip's War in New England. The Mohawk stopped Metacom from getting gunpowder and attacked his winter camp. This treaty also dealt with relations between the Iroquois and other tribes. These included the Mahican from the Hudson River, and the Nipmuc, Mohegan, and Massachusett from New England.
- A 1677 treaty was signed between the Five Nations of the Iroquois and the Delaware (Lenape) on one side. On the other side were the colonies of Virginia and Maryland, who were allied with the Susquehannock. This treaty aimed to bring peace. Many of the Susquehannock later moved north into western New York. They settled with the Seneca and Onondaga of the Iroquois.
These treaties started a new time in colonial history. The Chesapeake region had peace for almost eighty years. New York and the Haudenosaunee became very important for English policy with Native Americans. In the mid-1700s, Sir William Johnson became a key figure. He was in charge of Native American affairs for the Northern Department, based in central New York. He had a lot of influence and was later knighted for his work. In the early 1700s, New England continued to have fights with New France and its Abenaki allies. This led to years of raids and the taking of captives.
In these agreements, the colonies decided to hold negotiations usually in Albany, New York. The New York governor would oversee these meetings, as the covenant started there. Because of this, historian Daniel Richter said that "Iroquois and New Yorkers played dominant but seldom dictatorial roles" in keeping these treaties strong.
At a meeting in 1684, Virginia Governor Lord Effingham used the phrase "covenant chain." He used it to describe these agreements. A Seneca speaker continued this idea. He said: "Let the Chaine be Kept Cleane and bright as Silver that the great tree that is can not break it a peeces if it should fall upon itt."
Later colonial leaders thought these treaties meant the English controlled the Iroquois and other tribes. But the Iroquois did not agree. They believed they were equal partners. In a Covenant Chain meeting in 1692, the Iroquois leaders clearly stated:
- You say that you are our father and I am your son...
- ...We will not be like Father and Son, but like Brothers.
When the Chain Broke
The Covenant Chain continued until 1753. At that time, the Mohawk declared the chain was broken. They said they had been cheated out of their lands in New York.
Howard Zinn wrote about the taking of Mohawk land in his book, "A People's History of the United States". He explained that around 1750, the colonial population was growing fast. This put pressure on them to move west onto new land. This led to conflict with Native Americans. Land agents from the East started appearing in the Ohio River valley. This was the territory of the Covenant Chain tribes, with the Iroquois as their spokesmen. In New York, through tricky dealings, 800,000 acres of Mohawk land were taken. This ended the friendship between the Mohawk and New York.
Chief Hendrick of the Mohawks spoke about his sadness to Governor George Clinton and the New York council in 1753:
Brother when we came here to relate our Grievances about our Lands, we expected to have something done for us, and we have told you that the Covenant Chain of our Forefathers was like to be broken, and brother you tell us that we shall be redressed at Albany, but we know them so well, we will not trust to them, for they [the Albany merchants] are no people but Devils so ... as soon as we come home we will send up a Belt of Wampum to our Brothers the other 5 Nations to acquaint them the Covenant Chain is broken between you and us. So brother you are not to expect to hear of me any more, and Brother we desire to hear no more of you.
—Howard Zinn, "A Kind of Revolution," from A People's History of the United States
The Albany Congress was called to try and fix the chain. But the colonial delegates could not work together to improve their relationship with the Iroquois. This was a big problem right before the French and Indian War. Because of this, the British government took over dealing with Native American diplomacy. They created the British Indian Department in 1755.
In a 1755 meeting with the Iroquois, William Johnson renewed and restated the chain. He was the Superintendent of the Northern Department, based in central New York. He called their agreement the "Covenant Chain of love and friendship." He said the chain was attached to the strong mountains. He promised that every year the British would meet with the Iroquois to "strengthen and brighten" the chain. He became very influential among the Iroquois. He was later knighted for his important work in the Northeast.
Remembering the Chain
In June 2010, Queen Elizabeth II of Canada renewed the Covenant Chain Treaties. She gave 8 silver hand bells to Band Chiefs from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and Six Nations of the Grand River. This was to celebrate 300 years of the Covenant Chain. The bells were engraved with "The Silver Chain of Friendship 1710–2010." This phrase was often used when the Chain was renewed throughout history. This event marked the most recent renewal of the Covenant Chain Treaties. It was between the Haudenosaunee and the Crown of Canada. It also provides a legal basis for recognizing Haudenosaunee sovereignty and international trade between the two nations.
