Daniel Garacontié (also Garacontie, Garakontie, Garakonthie, Garaconthie, Sagochiendagehté; died 1676) was a tribal chief of the

Onondaga nation The Onondaga people (Onontaerrhonon, Onondaga: , "People of the Hills") are one of the five original nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy in the Northeastern Woodlands. Their historical homelands are in and around present-day Ono ...

. He was converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priests and was considered by the French to be a diplomat and peace-keeper for the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

. He was credited with obtaining the release of a number French prisoners from various Iroquois nations. After the flight of the French

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

from Onondaga in 1658, Garakonthie, who, although not yet a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, had examined with care the customs of the French colonists, and the doctrines of the missionaries, became openly the protector of the Christians and an earnest advocate for peace. In 1661 he persuaded the Onondagas to send an embassy to

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, and to restore some of their captives as a preliminary to peace. Father Le Moyne accompanied the embassy on its return, and was received with great honor by Garakonthie, who converted his cabin into a chapel for the missionary. The chief then set out on an embassy to Montreal with nine of the French prisoners. He was well received, restored his captives, and obtained the liberation of several of his countrymen. On his return he baffled the efforts of the chiefs who wished to make war on the French, frustrated a plot against Le Moyne's life, and prepared to conduct the missionary and the remaining captives to the St. Lawrence in 1662. During the war that followed the departure of Le Moyne, Garakonthie endeavored to procure the release of French captives, and protected the little body of Christians at Onondaga as far as his authority extended. In the spring of 1664 he succeeded in obtaining a decree of the council for another embassy, the object of which was to restore the French' prisoners and solicit peace; but the French, while expressing their gratitude for the efforts of Garakonthie, avoided making terms. In August, however, an agreement was made for an exchange of prisoners, and he set out with the French captives, but his party was attacked by the

Algonquins The Algonquin people are an Indigenous people who now live in Eastern Canada and parts of the United States. They speak the Algonquin language, which is part of the Algonquian language family. Culturally and linguistically, they are closely ...

, and, after severe loss, compelled to return. Although always friendly to the French, and feeling the truth of Christianity, he did not show any desire to become a Christian until 1669. Then, at a conference with the French governor in Quebec, he declared his love for Christianity, and that he renounced “

polygamy Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...

, the vanity of

dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...

s, and every kind of sin.” He was baptized with great pomp in the cathedral of Quebec by Bishop Laval, the governor being his godfather, and Mlle. Bouteroue, the daughter of the intendant, his godmother. He received the name of Daniel at the font, and was then entertained with honor in the castle. His conversion produced a great effect, not only at Onondaga, but in the other settlements. Some of the

sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Alg ...

s endeavored to diminish his influence, declaring that he was no longer a man, and that the black robes had disordered his intellect; but when any embassy was to be sent, or an eloquent speaker was desired for any occasion, Garakonthie quickly recovered all his power. His influence was recognized even by the English governors of New York, who asked his mediation to effect a peace between the

Mohawks The Mohawk, also known by their own name, (), are an Indigenous people of North America and the easternmost nation of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the Five Nations or later the Six Nations). Mohawk are an Iroquoi ...

and

Mohegan The Mohegan are an Indigenous people originally based in what is now southeastern Connecticut in the United States. They are part of the Eastern Algonquian linguistic and cultural family and historically shared close ties with the neighboring ...

s. He was frequently engaged on embassies to

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

and Albany, as well as to Quebec and

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. He opposed the superstitions and dances of the tribes, and did much to check them. Garacontié died at

Onondaga Onondaga may refer to: Native American/First Nations * Onondaga people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois League * Onondaga (village), Onondaga settlement and traditional Iroquois capit ...

, in 1676. When he found his end approaching he gave his last counsels to his family, and ordering the funeral banquet to be prepared, he invited to it the chiefs of Onondaga, and sang his death song. Then he exhorted the sachems to become Christians and to banish liquor from the cantons. In order to induce his countrymen to follow his precepts, Garakonthie had adopted many European customs, and had learned to read and write, although advanced in years.

References

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''Digital Librarian:'' American Indian Studies
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garacontie, Daniel Onondaga people 1676 deaths Year of birth missing Converts to Roman Catholicism from pagan religions Native American Roman Catholics 17th-century Native American leaders