Red Jacket
Red Jacket, born around 1756 as Otetiani in what is now New York, was a prominent Seneca orator and leader known for his engagement in the complex dynamics between Native American tribes and European settlers. After the American Revolution, he adopted the name Sagoyewátha, meaning "He Causes Them to Be Awake," and became known as Red Jacket due to his preference for red coats. Initially advocating for Iroquois neutrality during the Revolutionary War, he later participated in several campaigns but did not achieve significant victories.
Red Jacket was a skilled communicator, serving as a speaker for both tribal leaders and women, and played a crucial role in negotiations with U.S. officials throughout the 1790s. Despite an early willingness to embrace some aspects of European culture, he grew increasingly cautious due to land fraud and the influence of missionaries, which he criticized for their ineffectiveness. His leadership faced challenges from within his community, particularly from those who converted to Christianity, and he experienced periods of both deposition and reinstatement as chief.
Red Jacket's resistance to land sales and his advocacy against fraudulent practices marked him as a significant figure in the struggle for Native American rights during his lifetime. He passed away on January 20, 1832, and was afforded a Christian burial, reflecting the complex interplay of traditions he navigated throughout his life. His remains were later reinterred by the Buffalo Historical Society, signifying his enduring legacy.
Subject Terms
Red Jacket
- Born: c. 1756
- Birthplace: Near Canoga, New York
- Died: January 20, 1830
- Place of death: Seneca Village, New York
Tribal affiliation: Seneca
Significance: An eloquent speaker known for his great wit and memory, Red Jacket participated in numerous treaty conferences, arguing against Seneca assimilation into white society
Red Jacket was born about 1756 near Canoga, New York. His original name was Otetiani (Always Prepared), but upon his election as a merit chief shortly after the American Revolution he was given the Wolf Clan title Sagoyewátha (He Causes Them to Be Awake). To the whites, he was known as Red Jacket because of his fondness for red coats (first provided by the British).
At the Council at Oswego (1777), he and Cornplanter urged Iroquois neutrality in the revolution. When the council decided to join the British cause, he followed the Iroquois custom of unanimity and joined the war effort at Oriskany (1777) and Cherry Valley (1778), but he fled both encounters. He later participated in the Schoharie Valley campaign (1780). His undistinguished war record did not prevent recognition of his oratorical skills, and he served as speaker for the women and chiefs at Buffalo Creek. From 1790 to 1794, he was present at seven major negotiations between Iroquois and U.S. officials. In 1792, George Washington presented him with a silver medal.
Initially he was open to the adoption of some white ways, but land sales, fraud, and frontier evangelists made him wary of whites. He took an increasingly conservative cultural position. At the same time, he signed treaties selling land and negotiated secretly with federal commissioners, receiving six hundred dollars and a hundred-dollar annuity at Big Tree in 1797. This apparent hypocrisy earned him the enmity of the prophet Handsome Lake, who declared that Red Jacket would be undergoing eternal punishment for his role in the sale of Seneca land.
Red Jacket’s harshest attacks were reserved for missionaries. Noting the absence of beneficial effects of preaching in white communities, he wondered why Christians were unable to reach agreement on their religion. He was so humiliated when his wife converted to Christianity that he left her briefly. Deposed as chief in 1827 by a minority of chiefs (all Christians), he was reinstated the following year. As leader of the pagan faction, he objected to tactics used to obtain Seneca acquiescence to land sales to the Ogden Land Company and Seneca removal to Kansas. Red Jacket sent remonstrances to the governor of New York and President John Quincy Adams, and he personally visited Adams, securing an investigation that upheld charges of fraud.
As vain as he was eloquent, and with a reputation for intemperance, he was disappointed in never being named a confederacy chief. This may have been a result of his conflict with Handsome Lake, or perhaps reflected the Winnebagos’ fear of concentrating too much authority in such a wily individual. He died on January 20, 1832, ironically receiving a Christian burial. His remains were reburied in 1884 (along with those of other prominent Senecas ) by the Buffalo Historical Society.