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1969-262, Print
Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row, KEYSER VANDE SES NATIEN.
1969-262, Print

Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row, KEYSER VANDE SES NATIEN.

Date1710-1712
Publisher Pieter Schenk (1645-1715)
OriginEurope, Netherlands, Amsterdam
MediumMezzotint engraving on laid paper
DimensionsOverall: 8 5/16 × 6 3/16in. (21.1 × 15.7cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1969-262
DescriptionThe lower margin reads: "Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row,/ KEYSER VANDE SES NATIEN./ P. Schenck exc."
Label TextIn 1710, a diplomatic envoy of four Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) representatives – whom the English dubbed “The Four Indian Kings” – travelled to London to discuss the terms of an alliance with the English. They would not have been considered as such in their own societies, but they held authority in this case as diplomats. While at the court of Queen Anne, they successfully negotiated for the construction of a chapel and fortification staffed with English soldiers for protection against the French to be built west of Schenectady. Three members of the delegation were Mohawk, and one member was Mohican.

Their visit caused a sensation,-- inspiring fashion trends, plays, and ballads. Several artists made portraits of the emissaries that were engraved in various sizes and differing prices such as this smaller-scale mezzotint published by Pieter Schenck. Queen Anne commissioned full-length portraits of the men which were painted by John Verelst and engraved by John Simon (see 1999-48, 1999-49, 1999-50, and 1999-51).Those prints were sent back to present-day New York and presented to Haudenosaunee leaders. Colonial centers of government were sent copies, including Williamsburg where they were likely displayed in the Council Chamber of the Capitol.

Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row: Hendrick Tejonihokarawa or Teionihokarawa; also known as Hendrick Peters (1660 – c. 1735) was the only member of the group who held significant rank among the Mohawk. He was prominent member of the Mohawk Council and Bear Clan leader. Tejonihokarawa has been mistaken in the historical record for Hendrick Theyanoguin (c. 1691-1755), a Mohawk leader who also allied with the English.

For more on Hendrick Tejonihokarawa see Eric Hinderaker, The Two Hendricks: Unraveling a Mohawk Mystery (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2010).
ProvenanceBefore 1969, The Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1969-present, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA).