What distinguishes her documentary is that she offers considerable insight into grassroots activism on both sides of the fence. public. 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. hidden? We asked each other what we had done to deserve such severe chastisement. But the Iroquois Indians of the time bestowed on Washington another, not-so-flattering epithet: Conotocarious, or "Town Destroyer. Washington dined with Cherokees, Chickasaws, Creeks, Kaskaskias, Mahicans, Mohawks, Oneidas, and Senecas; in one week late in 1796, he had dinner with four different groups of Indians on four different daysand on such occasions the most powerful man in the United States followed the . Town Destroyer? A Seneca leader named Tanacharison called Washington HandaganyasTown Destroyer.. What Recent Independent Cinema Closures Mean for Scotland, Bjrks Fossora Guides Listeners Through Jagged Heights, the musician tackles mourning and uses memory as a way to enrich lifes soil, The National Windrush Monument Is a Bittersweet Tribute to Courage, Sonia Boyces Performances Defy Easy Categorization, WochenKlausurs Language Schools for Refugees, How Topshops Business Model Cannibalized Youth Culture, How Open-Access Resources Can Support Disabled Artists. In the American Revolutionary War, General Washington led Patriot forces to victory over the British and their allies. Town Destroyer; George Washington/Nicknames. The first screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and special guests to be announced. The name in its original language (s) has been given variously as Conotocarius, Conotocaurious, Caunotaucarius, Conotocarious, Hanodaganears, and Hanadahguyus. description ends Colonial ser., 16:5078). On June 4, 1779, the General of the Revolutionary Army, George Washington, violated the treaty and ordered the invasion of the territory of the Iroquois confederation. Following the massacre of five chiefs who had come out to negotiate under a flag of truce to the colonizers, the Susquehannahs gave John Washington an Algonquian name that translated to "town taker" or "devourer of villages." 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. The former vice president has become the Democratic front-runner with primary victories across the country. When you gave us peace we called you father, because you promised to secure us in the possession of our Land. US 2022, 55 min, Director: Alan Snitow, Deborah Kaufman, Is arts role to provoke or placate? 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. During the Revolutionary War, Washington, known to the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) as Handaga:yas, or Town Destroyer, ordered a brutal campaign against them in which his generals devastated some 60 villages, and hundreds of prosperous houses, farms, and orchards. Washington was elected with 69 of the 69 first-round votes cast in the United States Electoral College. It dates back to as early as 1776, inspired by his roles in the Revolutionary War and Constitutional Convention. Though we do visit Davenports family in Connecticut, we do not get a lot of insight into him as an individual. For my 2018 video installation Handaga:yas (Town Destroyer), I projected video referencing this scorched-earth campaign onto a replica portrait bust of Washington. Just an hour long, Snitow and Kaufmans documentary offers a fascinating overview of a case that encapsulates many of the bitterest divisions of our era. If you thought you could now talk calmly about Victor Arnautoff and his art, Americans Indians and George Washington, think again. More info here. When I was a child, I was told that George Washington was our first president and that he had . 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.1Our Councillors and warriors are men, and can not be afraid; but their hearts are grieved with the fears of our women (Being an Appendix to Report of the Minister of Agriculture. That they do not remember him with fondness is understandable. If art (or history) is altered to blunt painful truths, isnt that dishonesty, whether coming from the political left or right? facts, It will be essential to ruin their crops now in the ground and prevent their planting more., I would recommend, that some post in the center of the Indian Country, should be occupied with all expedition, with a sufficient quantity of provisions whence parties should be detached to lay waste all the settlements around, with instructions to do it in the most effectual manner, that the country may not be merely overrun, but destroyed.. All Events This event has passed. Nov. 6thBenefit forThe Association of Ramaytush Ohlone Q & A with filmmakers + Jonathan Cordero, chair of Ramaytush Ohlone peoples. This address was signed by the Allegheny Seneca chief, Cornplanter (for an identification, see GW to Timothy Pickering, 4 Sept. 1790), and the minor chiefs Half Town (Gahgeote, Achiout) and Great Tree (Kiandoch-gowa, Big Tree, Big Log, not to be confused with a more important Seneca chief named Big Tree or Great Tree; see Henry Knox to GW, 27 Dec. 1790, n.4). and therefore weak as our nation was, they determined to take the chance of war rather than submit to such unjust demands, which seemed to have no bounds. America's love affair with mass murderers has a long history - whether it unfolds as empathizing with Ted Bundy or as the canonization of town destroyer George Washington as a founding father . Streets mission to New York probably contributed to GWs decision to send Timothy Pickering on a special mission to pacify the Seneca a few weeks later. New Anti-Colonialist Documentary Asks Big Questions, California Institute for Community, Arts & Nature, The CIAs Changing Take on the Climate Emergency, Emancipation, Hollywoods Best Civil War Film Ever. In the fall of 1753, as French forces moved into the Ohio Valley to build a series of forts, George Washington offered his services to the Governor of Virginia as an envoy to carry a message to the French commander Jacques Le Gardeur. We mean to open our hearts before you, and we earnestly desire, that you will let us clearly understand, what you resolve to do. One commentary points out that by excluding the face of the Indian, the artist has respected the identity and the spirit of the dead person. 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. Washington Square Park Arc, 2020. In 1779, General George Washington suspended the colonial war against England and moved to extinguish the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations Iroquois) with his "Sullivan-Clinton Scorched Earth Campaign." Washington's soldiers were paid with land. copy, DNA: RG 233, First Congress, 17891791, Records of the Office of the Clerk, Records of Reports from Executive Departments (War Department), Confidential Reports; 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). Good luck with that: GWHS is seldom if ever open to the general public. New York, 1970. description ends 174). After suffering for nearly two years from Iroquois raids on the Colonies' northern frontier, Washington and Congress decided to strike back. 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. oy. Revisiting George Washingtons assault on the Haudenosaunee 240 Years Later. "[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. It might also illuminate Arnautoffs murals that roiled The City and the nation. Does this promise bind you? Both Washington and Jefferson enslaved and waged war against Indigenous nations to dispossess them of their homelands. To Natives, Washington was both the "Great White Father" and "Conotocarious," which means "Town Destroyer" or "Devourer of . Conotocaurious - Iroquois for Town Destroyer, also translated as Town Taker, Burner of Towns, or Devourer of Villages, was a nickname given to George Washington by Iroquois Indians. ", This lesser-known title also had its origins in 1779, when General Washington ordered what at the time was the largest-ever campaign against the Indians in North America. light grey. And he said also that it did not belong to us for that the great King had ceded the whole of it when you made peace with him. CODE OF CONDUCT, Workshop: In Our Own Words: Poetry on Film. Snitow and Kaufman try to walk a fine line and to offer a balanced perspective in their 58-minute documentary which includes on camera interviews with well known historians such as UCLA Professor Robin D. G. Kelley, plus famed San Francisco muralist Dewey Crumpler, along with community activists, local political figures, members of Indians tribes close to home and from far away. Courtesy: the artist and Peabody Essex Museum, In 1779, Washington launched a full-scale invasion of Iroquoia, our extensive homelands. Part of Colonial Williamsburg's "Prelude to Victory" weekend. Donald Trump recently condemned these actions in a speech delivered in front of his latest provocative backdrop, Mount Rushmore, in Lakota territory illegally seized by the US in the 1870s. Yet to this day, the Iroquois (more properly, the Haudenosaunee) call Washington Conotocaurius, or "Town Destroyer." His army razed their well-constructed, permanent villages and laid waste to huge quantities of their food. 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". The title by which Washington was known to Native nations, Handaga:yas or Town Destroyer, was one he inherited from his great-grandfather, John Washington, a slave-owning planter and colonel in the Virginia militia who, during Bacon's Rebellion of 1676, had the chiefs of several tribes killed. 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. Sun. Town Destroyer opens Fri/4 at the Roxie, with the filmmakers and special guests present at all shows. 1890. Is the blame all ours? It is translated as Town Taker, Burner of Towns They were men and when at peace had a right to live on the Earth. We know that you are strong and we have heard that you are wise; and we wait to hear your answer to what we have said that we may know that you are just. We saw that we were wrong: we wished for peace. Hear us once more. The NASA scientists interviewed more than do their bit to anthropomorphise our heroine, particularly in choosing various golden oldies as Oppys (and their own) wake-up song, including the B-52s Roam, ABBAs SOS, plus Born to be Wild, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, etc. Not all U.S. presidents are missed once they leave the White House. (The Iroquois dubbed him "Town Destroyer.") Sat. Cornplanter had intended to make the trip at an earlier date but had been delayed by the alarm among the Indians caused by the murder of two Seneca men on Pine Creek (see GW to Pickering, 4 Sept. 1790). Conotocaurius (Town Destroyer, Seneca: Handaganyas) was a nickname given to George Washington by Iroquois peoples in 1753. Presented by the California Film Institute (CAFILM), the 45th Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF45) runs October 6-16, 2022. Conotocaurious (Town Destroyer) was a nickname given to George Washington by Iroquois Native Americans in 1753. The story focuses on a dispute over historic murals depicting the life of George Washington: slaveowner, general, land speculator, President, and a man Seneca leaders called "Town Destroyer" after he ordered their villages destroyed during the Revolutionary War. By Teka Lark (February 18, 2020) This week we're honoring George Washington or Conotocaurius (Town Destroyer) as the Iroquois called him, a man who enslaved 316 people and brought nine of them to the White House (Coard, Philadephia Tribune, 2018). The time has come to even reconsider towering figures like Washington, honoured for their roles in founding the US, yet profoundly implicated in its colossal and, tragically, ongoing ethical and humanitarian failings. While individual Iroquois tribes continued to launch raids over the next few years, the Revolutionary War broke the power of the Iroquois as a political unit. 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. The title by which Washington was known to Native nations, Handaga:yas or Town Destroyer, was one he inherited from his great-grandfather, John Washington, a slave-owning planter and colonel in the Virginia militia who, during Bacons Rebellion of 1676, had the chiefs of several tribes killed. During the American Revolution, some Mohawks led by Joseph Brant chose to fight with the British and to defend the Proclamation Line. Note: The annotations to this document, and any other All three had participated in the Iroquois campaigns during the Revolution; Cornplanter as a principal war chief and the others as head warriors. 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. Once slated to be painted over, they are still on the walls and still controversial. For over 8 miles south of Onondaga Lake, the colonial army followed the orders of General Washington killing and burning. THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNER JEWISH FILM INSTITUTE, The California Film Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The name in its original language(s) has been When you kindled your thirteen fires seperately, the wise men He signed the message "Conotocarious," or Town Devourer. 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. preserve, publish, and encourage the use of documentary sources, relating to the history of orA.I. 6.In addition to other alleged unpunished murders, this is undoubtedly a reference to the recent acquittal of Samuel Doyle by a Pennsylvania court for his reported role in the murder of a Seneca man (see Timothy Pickering to GW, 4 Dec. 1790, n.6). Why does Cornplanter bring this up? Courtesy: JASON SZENES/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock. The father of his country massacred men, women and children. The artist, Victor Arnautoff, was a Russian emigre whod studied under Diego Rivera, and whose work reflected both that masters visual style and leftist politics. our fathers where is the place which you have reserved for us to lie down on. Pero los indios iroqueses de la poca le dieron a Washington otro epteto no tan halagador: Conotocarious, o "Town Destroyer " . 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. 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. Theres just brief note of the flurry of drastic state rulings since then, and a tag re: Roes June overturn. On display since San Franciscos 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. nD. 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. Degrowth or Debunk: Do Degrowth proponents have a strategy? 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. Advertise Through its grants program, the NHPRC supports a wide range of activities to Town Destroyer explores the ways we look at art and history at a time of racial reckoning. The chiefs remained in Philadelphia until GW arrived in Philadelphia and Congress reconvened. In Snitows and Kaufmans documentary some George Washington students and their parents argue that the images on the walls are a relic of the past and not history, that they instill a sense of trauma and shame and ought to be eradicated. They then left us to consider the bargain till the next day. Perhaps only in a city that loves its murals, some by Diego Rivera, and hates its murals, could murals painted in the 1930s under a New Deal art program, divide citizens from one another and stir up deeply seated passions. The voice of the Senecca Nation speaks to you the great Councillor, in whose heart, the wise men of the thirteen fires, have placed their wisdom. They would soon face one of the largest amphibious invasions yet seen. Town Destroyeran anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist film is likely to stir up all over again fundamental issues about censorship, trauma, genocide and ethnicity. Nicole Flatterys Nothing Special Tackles Authorship inside Warhols Factory, Frieze Editors Picks: Jafar Panahis No Bears. Staked Plains. By Josh Sippie / July 27, 2022 11:39 pm EST. The Iroquois Confederacy, arguably the strongest Indian government during the colonial period, would never recover. We hearkened to them and were deceived until your army approached our towns. Hundreds perished of starvation, disease and exposure a Haudenosaunee Trail of Tears. "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. George Washington is a polarizing character in American Indian history. Would You Pay to Live in Facebooks Metaverse? This project is supported by the are back withTown Destroyer, which premiered at the Mill Valley Festival last month. r e. s w. w. w. Tow. Conotocaurius (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. Hear our case, many nations inhabited this Country, but they had no wisdom, and therefore they warred, together. Kevin McCarthy is No Edward Snowden, But He Should Find the Comparison Flattering, Assessing Nicaraguas Long Haul toward Liberation and Economic Democracy, A National Divorce? This is the skeleton of Napoleon Bonaparte's favourite steed, "Marengo". It opens in area theaters Fri/4, then begins streaming on Amazon Prime Nov. 23. The 77-minute film is entirely shot from his POV as a person navigating everyday life from a motorized wheelchair. Victor Arnautoff was one of the most prolific artists in San Francisco. In Wolf Nation, my 2019 exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, I marked the 240th anniversary of Washingtons ruthless invasion with an augmented reality version of this work. Signed at Philadelphia the first day of December. to GW, 15 Aug. 1789, note 1. For first one, and then another, come and take it away, by order of that people, who promised to secure it to us. You demanded a great Country to be given up to you. 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. As the first president of the United States, he established America's nation-to-nation relationship with its Indigenous people. In other accounts, Washington was given the nickname sometime after the 1779 Sullivan Expedition in the American Revolutionary War, which destroyed at least 40 Iroquois villages. What is role of the artist in reflecting America to itself? The name in its original language (s) has been given variously as Conotocarius, Conotocaurious, Caunotaucarius, Conotocarious, Hanodaganears, and Hanadahguyus. 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. tr. . Alan Michelson, Handaga:yas (Town Destroyer), 2019, video, bonded stone Houdon replica bust, antique surveyor's tripod, artificial turf, sound, 190 183 cm. While SFFilmsDoc Stories showcase runs through next Tues/8 (see our previewhere) , theres no lack of new documentary features concurrently finding their way to regular release. Ryan Whites documentary about the data-gathering land rover that was only expected to function on Mars surface for about 90 days, yet wound up lasting a remarkable 15 years. Legendary rock scene photographer's retrospective at Haight Street Art Center glittered with familiar faces. Allegedly both George Washington and his Great Grandfather, John Washington shared an unusual nickname. We recollect that you did not promise to punish those who killed our people, and we now ask, Was it intended that your people should kill the Seneccas, and not only remain unpunished by you: but be protected by you against the next of kin?6. Upon this threat our Chiefs Town Destroyer will shed new light on our first president. He's the first and a reluctant first, at that . Jonah Raskin is the author of Beat Blues, San Francisco, 1955. Conotocaurius ( Town Destroyer, Seneca: Handaganyas) was a nickname given to George Washington by Iroquois peoples in 1753. 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). At fort Stanwix we agreed to deliver up those of our people, who should do you any wrong, that you might try them, and punish them according to your Law. And at this moment his wife and children are lying on the Ground in want of food. ERKURIES BEATTY, OF THE 4TH PENN LINE. The film highlights the debate about controversial murals at George Washington High School. The last reason he assigned for continuing to refuse paying us was, that the King had ceded the lands to the thirteen fires and that he had bought them from you and paid you for them. "It was disastrous to the Iroquois," says Barbara Graymont, author of The Iroquois in the American Revolution. Do this and so long2 as the Land shall remain that beloved name shall live in the heart of every Senecca. We have nothing to answer to the children of the brothers of our fathers. 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). Washington received his commission on October 31, 1753 and set out immediately. It did not leave our 1st POTUS unblemished as a participant in both those officially sanctioned wrongs. Bay Guardian Archives 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? The campaign defeated the loyalist Iroquois army, burned 40 Iroquois villages to ashes, and left homeless many of the Indians, hundreds of whom died of exposure during the following frigid winter. "It actually crushed their military power." 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. Privacy Policy Records Commission (NHPRC) is part of the National Nonetheless, the murals stirred little debate until the 1960s, when some Black students protested aspects they deemed offensive. Elaborate reenactments of the robots experience via Industrial Light & Magic wizardry are accompanied by a treacly, heart-tugging orchestral score. Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. The name in its original language(s) has been given variously as Conotocarius, Conotocaurious, Caunotaucarius, Conotocarious, Hanodaganears, and Hanadahguyus. 1788-89 United States presidential election [ edit] Washington is inaugurated as president of the United States in 1789. Main Image:Washington Square Park Arc, 2020. To the Irouqois, General George Washington was Ha-no-da-ga-nears, which means Town Destroyer, and this remained the name they gave to all Presidents of the United States. The Onondagas, who were honoring the neutrality agreement, were not prepared for the attack. It was impossible for us to grant him this and we immediately refused. From George Washington to Major General John Sullivan, 31 May 1779 Sir, The expedition you are appointed to command is to be directed against the hostile tri 21st. Phelps (17491809) was a Massachusetts merchant, politician, and large-scale land speculator. We debated with him six days during all which time he persisted in refusing to pay us our just demand; and he ins[is]ted that we should receive the five hundred dollars, and Street from Niagara, also insisted on our receiving the money as it was offered to us. Pete Galindo, the director of the Great Wall Project, talks about the half-mile long Great Wall of LA which depicts the history of the city, including lynching. He had participated in an effort to suppress Indigenous peoples defending themselves in Virginia and Maryland. Its minders at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena demonstrate a very paternal mindset, saying things like Theres energy in its veins, it needs to be given love, and otherwise viewing Oppy more like a genius dog than a technological tool. The Haudenosaunee took notice of General George Washingtons actions. In the summer of 1790, Street was in New York to present these grievances to GW. An Arab stallion with a light grey . He suggests that Arnautoffs work ought to be preserved, not destroyed and used as a vehicle to teach students about both the past and the present. These questions and many more were the subject of hot debate when Victor Arnautoffs thirteen-panel mural The Life of Washington became an object of local controversy, then a media firestorm. Town Destroyer is playing as part of the Mill Valley Film Festival with a screening Saturday afternoon at The Roxie (and with an extended run at the Roxie November 4-10). It also illuminates a work of. But instead of trying them according to your Law, the lowest of your people took them from your magistrate, and put them immediately to death. On July 9, 1776, General George Washington amassed his soldiers in New York City.

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