Daniel garakontie biography

GARAKONTIÉ (Garakonké, Harakontie), baptized as Daniel, almost certainly the “sagochiendagehte” referred to in the Jesuit Relation, 1654, Onondaga chief and a leading negotiator with the French from that date until his death in the winter of 1677–78.

Although he was apparently not a hereditary chief, Garakontié was highly respected and influential among the Five Nations Iroquois.

He was a skilful orator and deeply imbued with Iroquois traditions. He consistently sought to serve the best interests of the Five Nations through a pro-French policy, often in the face of opposition among his own people.

The first references to Garakontié reveal him struggling to preserve the general peace of 1653, and Father Jean de Lamberville* later credits him with giving the Jesuit settlement at Onondaga, founded in 1656, warning of the attack which the Mohawks and his tribesmen were planning in March 1658.

He played a leading role in bringing about a new truce between the western Iroquois and