Red Jacket: Seneca Chief

by Arthur Caswell Parker

This is the story of the famous and controversial Seneca chief and orator Red Jacket ( Sagoyewatha , ca. 1750–1830), whose passionate and articulate defense of the old ways won the admiration of many but also earned him the enmity of Chiefs Joseph Brant and Cornplanter. Red Jacket received a medal from George Washington as a token of friendship. He is remembered as a vocal and persistent opponent of foreign encroachment on the Iroquois, protesting bitterly against the sale of tribal lands and involvement in European-American disputes, missionary activities, and various efforts to “civilize” the Iroquois. Arthur C. Parker, a renowned scholar of the Iroquois and a member of a distinguished Seneca family, offers an engaging and highly readable account of Red Jacket’s life. The biography follows Red Jacket from his early years along the Genesee River through the invasion of Seneca lands during the Revolutionary War, the Big Tree Treaty of 1797, and the rise of the prophet Handsome Lake. Parker (1881–1955) has authored several books on the Iroquois, including Seneca Myths and Folk Tales (Nebraska 1989).

228 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Jenn Ruscio · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very accessible read and a necessary history for anyone living on American soil, especially the finger lakes.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read it because I have an interest in Seneca history & culture, but by the end of the first chapter, I recognized it as written for kids, or maybe teenagers. It is a simplified history seen through rose tinted glasses. Perhaps the fact that the author is a direct descendent of the subject, Red Jacket, impacted his objectivity.