Honayawas or Farmer's Brother (c. 1730 – 1814) was a

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

Chief, active member of the Six Nations, elected War Chief, translator, and noted orator who fought and negotiated with both the United States and British before, during, and after the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

. He was a signatory of the

Treaty of Big Tree The Treaty of Big Tree was a formal treaty signed in 1797 between the Seneca Nation and the United States, in which the Seneca relinquished their rights to nearly all of their traditional homeland in New York State—nearly 3.5 million acres. In ...

in 1797, and the

Treaty of Buffalo Creek The Treaties of Buffalo Creek are a series of treaties, named for the Buffalo River in New York, between the United States and Native American peoples: These include the following: * First Treaty of Buffalo Creek (1788) * Second Treaty of Buffa ...

in 1802 which sold Little Beard's reservation to

Oliver Phelps Oliver Phelps (October 21, 1749February 21, 1809) was early in life a tavern keeper in Granville, Massachusetts. During the Revolution he was Deputy Commissary of the Continental Army and served until the end of the war. After the war ended, ...

, Isaac Bronson, and Horatio Jones.

Career

During the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

he may have fought in the disastrous

Battle of the Monongahela The Battle of the Monongahela (also known as the Battle of Braddock's Field and the Battle of the Wilderness) took place on 9 July 1755, at the beginning of the French and Indian War, at Braddock's Field in what is now Braddock, Pennsylvania, ...

with Braddock in 1755. During

Pontiac's Rebellion Pontiac's War (also known as Pontiac's Conspiracy or Pontiac's Rebellion) was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of Native Americans dissatisfied with British rule in the Great Lakes region following the French and Indian War (1754–176 ...

he participated in the

Devil's Hole Massacre The Battle of Devil's Hole, also known as the Devil's Hole Massacre, was fought near Niagara Gorge in present-day New York (state), New York state on September 14, 1763, between a detachment of the British 80th Regiment of Light Armed Foot and a ...

in 1763. When the Six Nations dissolved in 1777 over disagreements on allegiances during the

American revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

Farmer's Brother sided with the British along other Senecas. After the war, however, he maintained friendly relations with the victorious colonials. While previously very active as a war leader, Farmer's Brother became more heavily involved in the treaty making process with the Americans after the British signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783. In the treaty the British surrendered to the Americans several territories East of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

, however they did this without the knowledge or consent of their Six Nations allies who still considered themselves the rightful owners of this land. The treaty did not include any mention of the Nations the British had made alliances with and left the responsibility of negotiating peace with them to the newly formed United States Government. This, coupled with previous instances of failed negotiations between the United States government and the Six Nations, pressured the Americans into action to avert more conflicts. The American statesman

Timothy Pickering Timothy Pickering (July 17, 1745January 29, 1829) was the third United States Secretary of State under Presidents George Washington and John Adams. He also represented Massachusetts in both houses of Congress as a member of the Federalist Party ...

was appointed to position of commissioner for the

Haudenosaunee The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

by George Washington with the purpose of establishing a lasting peace between both nations. On October 14, 1794 Pickering met with the first group of representatives of the Six Nations at Buffalo Creek. A group of 500

Oneidas The Oneida people (autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora) are a Native American tribe and First Nations band. They are one of the five founding nat ...

peoples arrived at the council grounds to voice their concerns and Farmer's Brother was among them. He acted as both the translator and orator for this group, delivering an opening address on behalf of the Chiefs where he articulated their grievances, requests, and demands. In the following days as more groups arrived, including delegations from the Seneca Nation led by Chiefs

Red Jacket Red Jacket (known as ''Otetiani'' in his youth and ''Sagoyewatha'' eeper Awake''Sa-go-ye-wa-tha'' as an adult because of his oratorical skills) (c. 1750–January 20, 1830) was a Seneca orator and chief of the Wolf clan, based in Western New York ...

and

Cornplanter John Abeel III (born between 1732 and 1746–February 18, 1836), known as Gaiänt'wakê (''Gyantwachia'' – "the planter") or Kaiiontwa'kon (''Kaintwakon'' – "By What One Plants") in the Seneca language and thus generally known as Cornplante ...

, Farmer's Brother continued to take part in the negotiation process while Pickering heard the concerns of other Chiefs before they settled on an agreement. Ultimately Pickering, on behalf of the United States government, offered to restore some territory that had been taken from the Six Nations and promised a $4,500 annuity payment would be provided from United States to Six Nations in perpetuity to be spent on "clothing, domestic animals, implements of husbandry, and other utensils suited to their circumstances." After more deliberation when the Treaty was finally agreed upon on November 11, 1794 Farmer's Brother was one of the 50 Chiefs to sign. The treaty did more than settle the tensions between the two Nations it also made the American government recognize the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the

as equally valid as their own. In 1792 he was one of a group of chiefs who visited Philadelphia, possibly to be present at the signing of the Agreement with the Five Nations. While in Philadelphia he was presented with a silver

medallion A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

by George Washington. from then on he wore it constantly around his neck, and was often heard to say that he would lose it only when he lost his life. In 1794 he participated in a Grand Council at Niagara where he is reported to have given a three-hour speech which unfortunately has not survived. The same year he was a signatory of the

Treaty of Canandaigua The Treaty of Canandaigua (or Konondaigua, as spelled in the treaty itself) also known as the Pickering Treaty and the Calico Treaty, is a treaty signed after the American Revolutionary War between the Grand Council of the Six Nations and Presid ...

. Farmer's Brother delivered what is considered his most famous speech on the 21st of November 1798 at

Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides ...

in the newly formed New York State. His speech was presented alongside one from his contemporary, another notable

Chief Red Jacket, before an assembled congregation of Chiefs from the Six Nations as well as other onlookers interested in hearing the esteemed speaker orate. In his speech, Farmer's Brother spoke on behalf of two American agents,

Jasper Parrish Jasper Parrish (9 March 176712 July 1836) was a United States Agent and Interpreter for the Iroquois. Parrish was fluent in the Mohawk and Delaware languages after having lived among the Munsee and Mohawk nations for six years as a child. Parrish ...

and Horatio Jones, who had been captured by, and worked with, the Six Nations closely before eventually being adopted by them. Farmer's Brother requested that the two interpreters be granted a (2 mile/3 kilometer) plot of land for their contributions to the Nations and their continued loyalty after the war. The speech was considered remarkable by onlookers for Farmer's Brother's eloquence and the use of the line "the Great spirit spoke to the whirlwind and it was still" which had a resounding impact on many present. At this time, however, without the states' approval it was not possible to transfer any land belonging to Nations to private owners. Because of this the address was transcribed and sent to the New York legislature where the proposition was eventually approved. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

he fought on the side of the United States despite his advanced age. He participated in the

Battle of Fort George The Battle of Fort George was a battle fought during the War of 1812, in which the Americans defeated a British force and captured the Fort George in Upper Canada. The troops of the United States Army and vessels of the United States Navy co ...

in 1813, and in the

Battle of Lundy's Lane The Battle of Lundy's Lane, also known as the Battle of Niagara, was a battle fought on 25 July 1814, during the War of 1812, between an invading American army and a British and Canadian army near present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was one o ...

in 1814. Following that battle a story is related that an Indian allied with the British (variously Chippewa or Mohawk) came to the Seneca saying he was deserting. He was identified as a spy, and Farmer's Brother said to him "here are my rifle, my

tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Eur ...

, and my scalping knife: take your choice by which you will die." The spy chose the rifle and indicated he wanted to be shot through the heart (or head), so Farmer's Brother immediately pointed his rifle there and killed him.

Personal

Farmer's Brother has been described as His exact birthdate is unknown, 1716, 1718, or 1732 have also been suggested. Farmer's Brother was a cousin (or half-brother) of Hiokatoo, who married

Mary Jemison Mary Jemison (''Deh-he-wä-nis'') (1743 – September 19, 1833) was a Scots-Irish colonial frontierswoman in Pennsylvania and New York, who became known as the "White Woman of the Genesee." As a young girl she was captured and adopted into a Se ...

. According to Jemison "it was through the influence of Farmer's Brother that I became Hiokatoo's wife." In the negotiations preliminary to the Treaty of Big Tree Farmer's Brother supported Jemison's request that a section of land which had been promised to her be set aside as a reservation. Although opposed by

, Farmer's Brother won the day and the Gardeau Reservation was set aside for her following her description. It has been recounted that despite his name, Farmer's Brother was generally opposed to the practice of farming along with other conventions that settlers attempted to impress on his people. He alongside Red Jacket resisted the encroachment of European missionaries into their territory and stood firmly against the missionaries attempts to indoctrinate the Seneca people into their faith. Farmer's Brother is also said to have died never having tried alcohol, showing disdain for it and abstaining from it out of principle.

Death

Farmer's Brother died of natural causes on an unspecified date in the autumn of 1814. Out of respect for his character and contributions the 5th Infantry Regiment buried him with full military honors in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

''.'' In March 1915 to make way for the expanding city his body and grave, alongside others, were moved to

Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) Forest Lawn Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Buffalo, New York, founded in 1849 by Charles E. Clarke. It covers over and over 152,000 are buried there, including U.S. President Millard Fillmore, First Lady Abigail Fillmore, singer Rick ...

. During the process of exhuming his grave a brass tablet was discovered with his initials on it but it was lost in the moving process.

Name

The name ''Honayawas'' is said to have a "vulgar meaning". It has been variously spelled Honanyawus, Onayawos, Ouayawos, Honayewus, etc. He is said to have been given the name "Farmer's Brother" by George Washington. Washington wanted to make agriculture respectable among the Native Americans and in conversation with Honayawas indicated that he himself was a farmer, and called him a brother. Honayawas was proud of meeting Washington and adopted the name.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farmer's Brother 1730 births 1815 deaths Native American leaders Native Americans in the American Revolution Seneca people People from Buffalo, New York Native American people from New York (state)