Seven Nations of Canada facts for kids
| Type | Confederacy |
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| Origins | Saint Lawrence River area |
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Membership
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The Seven Nations of Canada (called Tsiata Nihononhwentsiá:ke in the Mohawk language) was a group of First Nations communities. They lived near the Saint Lawrence River in what is now Canada, starting in the 1700s. These nations formed an alliance, or confederacy. They were often friends with New France and many of their people became Roman Catholic.
During the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), they helped the French fight against the British. Later, they joined a British-led alliance of Indigenous peoples. This alliance fought against the United States in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
The "Seven Nations" name refers to seven communities or towns, not seven different peoples. From west to east, these communities were:
- Onondaga of Oswegatchie
- Mohawk of Akwesasne
- Mohawk of Kahnawake
- Mohawk and Anishinabeg (Algonquin and Nipissing) of Kanesatake
- Abenaki of Odanak
- Abenaki of Bécancour (now Wôlinak)
- Huron of Jeune-Lorette (now Wendake)
Contents
When Did the Seven Nations Form?
Historians have different ideas about when the Seven Nations alliance began. Jean-Pierre Sawaya, a Canadian historian, thinks it started in the 1600s. He studies the history of Canada's First Nations.
Another Canadian historian, John Alexander Dickinson, believes the alliance formed later. He thinks it was created during the Seven Years' War. This was when the British were getting closer to the St. Lawrence River. Dickinson studies New France and its ties with First Nations.
There isn't much old evidence to clearly support either idea. Dickinson says the lack of evidence suggests it formed later.
How the Mohawk Communities Grew
Mohawk historian Darren Bonaparte has gathered what we know. After a difficult war in 1667, the French attacked Mohawk villages in what is now New York. Some Mohawk people became Christians and moved to Kahnawake. This village was "near the rapids" on the Saint Lawrence River, across from Montreal.
Kahnawake reminded them of their old village, Caughnawaga, in the Mohawk homeland. The first village slowly disappeared as many people moved north. The Mohawk who stayed in New York and those who moved north had a complicated relationship. This was partly because their religious practices became different.
Who Joined the Alliance?
The Seven Nations alliance brought together different First Nations groups in the St. Lawrence River valley. It included Abenaki, Algonquin, and Huron people who were open to Catholicism. The Abenaki and Algonquin spoke languages from the Algonquian family. The Mohawk and Onondaga were Iroquois, and the Huron spoke another Iroquoian language. Even within the alliance, the Mohawk people still saw themselves as Mohawk. They also felt connected to their relatives in traditional Iroquois lands.
One of the first times the "Seven Nations" were mentioned in writing was in the mid-1700s. In 1755, Seven Nations warriors and their French allies planned an ambush. It was for the British army near Lake George and the Hudson River. A Mohawk from Kahnawake saw other Mohawk marching with the British. He asked them who they were. They replied, "Mohawks and Five Nations" (the traditional name for the Iroquois Confederacy).
When asked in return, the Mohawk with the French said, "We are the 7 confederate Indian Nations of Canada." This conversation was written down by Daniel Claus, who worked for the British.
Religion and Culture
During the time of French rule, Jesuit missionaries came to North America. Many people in these nations became Catholic. However, they often kept parts of their traditional beliefs and ceremonies.
The Jesuits worked hard to keep the Mohawk language alive. They translated prayers and songs into Mohawk. They also helped keep the traditional clan system strong. They did not make people learn a European language, though many did for trading. The Jesuits also did not force people to give up their own culture. Even in the late 1700s and 1800s, church records at Akwesasne still used Mohawk names.
Geography of the Nations
This map shows where the Seven Nations lived just before the Seven Years' War. Native and French communities were mixed together along the St. Lawrence River. The French communities were all part of one government. But each Native American community had its own government. They were connected to the French by where they lived and by agreements.
Most people in the four western towns were closely related to the Iroquois of the Six Nations. These were mostly Mohawk (at Kanesetake, Kahnawake, and Akwesasne) or Onondaga (at Oswegatchie). There were also Anishinaabeg people living at Kanesetake. The eastern towns were home to the Abenaki (at Odanak and Bécancour) and the Huron (at Jeune-Lorette).
A main reason these nations came together was the constant spread of British settlements. These settlements in New England and New York had already forced many of them from their original homes.
Politics and Treaties
When the Seven Nations saw that the French were losing the Seven Years' War, they made a peace treaty with the British. This was called the Treaty of Kahnawake (1760). Through this treaty, the Seven Nations gained free travel between Canada and New York. This was important for their fur trade between Montreal and Albany.
After the American Revolutionary War, the British signed the 1783 Treaty of Paris. In this treaty, the British gave all their lands south of the Great Lakes to the United States. The treaty did not mention England's Native American allies. So, the United States had to make separate peace agreements with each nation.
Important issues included not only peace but also who owned large areas of land. The United States believed these lands were now theirs because of the British treaty. By 1789, US officials realized that Native Americans were very protective of their lands. They usually only gave up land if they were paid for it.
After the United States and the Seven Nations signed a treaty in 1797, other Native Americans questioned it. They said the people who signed the treaty did not have the right to give away land. This challenge continues even today. US courts have ruled that they will not question if a tribe was properly represented in a treaty. They also won't decide if a treaty was made unfairly. Issues about land claims and treaties are still debated.
