M&D Spoiler--Question p. 648

[Brian D. McCary]

spoiler









David Alan Buuck queries:-

" -on p 648 we're introduced to a group of indians, who are thus named: "the
Mohawk Chiefs Hendricks, Daniel, and Peter, the Onondaga Chiefs Tanadoras,
Sachehaandicks, and Tondeghho,-- the Warriors Nicholas, Thomas, Abraham,
Hanenhereyouwagh, John, Sawattiss, Jemmy, and John Sturgeon, -- the Women
Socenna and Hanna...."

any ideas on these names? note the many biblical names.  i'm curious..."

I grew up in Schenectady, NY (home-town of global spider GE) which was founded
in the late 1670's by Dutch (!) settlers who struck out from
Albany on their own.  Their Church was the Dutch Reformed Church (founded or
chartered by William of Orange, the same William of Orange who later moved
over to Scotland at the request of the British, if memory serves) and they
worked hard at converting the local Indians, the Mohawk tribe of the 
Iraquois Nation.  They were on very good terms with the Mohawk.  When the Hurons
came down from Canada, attacking the village, burning much of it, & taking
numerous hostages during the French & Indian War (I think this was around
1680) the local Mohawk clans chased after the retreating Hurons, rescuing
the hostages.  There was a large statue in the old section of town dedicated
to "Lawrence the Indian", who was the local chief who led the rescue effort.
In fairness to the Hurons, I think the French talked them into the raid as 
part of some conflict with the Dutch, who held the area at the time.  The
DRC congregation remains there downtown, three hundered years after the 
founding of the village, in the original stockade area.

So Christian names among the tribes of the Iraquois nation were probably
an artifact of conversion to Christianity by the Dutch in their initial
conquests, and it would be reasonable to see chiefs and warriors with 
christian names a century later.

Brian McCary