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Garakontie
(c. 1654-1677):
Iroquois Peacemaker
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Garakontie was
a member of the Onondaga,
one of the five nations of the Iroquois
Confederacy. He was not a chief or even a man of great importance,
but he became respected for his wisdom and fairness.
The French and
the Iroquois nations were at war with each other. They were constantly
fighting over control of the land and the fur trade. Garakontie
realized that while the French colony grew stronger despite the
fighting, the Iroquois nations just kept getting weaker and their
population was dying off. Garakontie wanted to find a way to
make peace.
Garakontie
formed a friendship with Simon Le Moyne, a Jesuit priest, and became
a Catholic himself. They decided to work together for peace.
They began by organizing prisoner exchanges. The Iroquois released
two French prisoners so the French let two Iroquois captives go
free.
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