Tekarihogen or Dekarihokenh (Tekarihó:ken) is the title and office of an

Iroquois League The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of Native Americans and First Nations peopl ...

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 ...

of the

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

. The title has been rendered in English in numerous spelling variations. The title of ''Dekarihokenh'' is hereditary through the maternal line; each office holder is a male of the Mohawk Turtle clan. He is appointed by the senior women of the clan, as the Iroquois have a matrilineal system of descent and property. Like the other sachems of the

Grand Council of the Six Nations 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 ...

, the ''Dekarihokenh'' is part of the ceremonial leadership of the Iroquois, but not necessarily of the political leadership. Holders of this title included: *

Hendrick Theyanoguin Hendrick Theyanoguin ( – September 8, 1755), whose name had several spelling variations, was a Mohawk leader and member of the Bear Clan. He resided at Canajoharie or the Upper Mohawk Castle in colonial New York. He was a Speaker for the M ...

* John Brant

References

*Snow, Dean R. ''The Iroquois''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 1994. *Sivertsen, Barbara J. ''Turtles, Wolves, and Bears: A Mohawk Family History''. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1996.

External links

* * Titles and offices of Native American leaders Indigenous politics in Canada {{NorthAm-native-stub