Molly Brant

Molly Brant, also known as Mary Brant, Konwatsi'tsiaienni, and Degonwadonti, was a prominent Mohawk leader born around 1736. She played a significant role in British New York and Upper Canada during the tumultuous era of the American Revolution. As the consort of Sir William Johnson, the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs, she bore eight children and was deeply embedded in the political landscape of her time.

Following Johnson's death in seventeen seventy-four, Molly returned to her native village of Canajoharie with her children. A staunch Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War, she later migrated to British Canada, where she became an essential intermediary between British officials and the Iroquois nations. After the war, she settled in what is now Kingston, Ontario, where her contributions were recognized by the British government through a pension and compensation for her wartime losses, including a land grant.

As the British ceded their colonial territories to the United States, many Iroquois nations, including Molly's, were forced out of New York. This led to the establishment of a Six Nations Reserve in present-day Ontario. Despite being overlooked by many historians for years, Molly Brant has been honored since nineteen ninety-four as a Person of National Historic Significance in Canada. Her legacy has gained scholarly interest, although she has faced criticism for her pro-British stance at the expense of her people.

A devout Anglican, Molly is commemorated on April sixteenth in the calendar of the Anglican Church of Canada. While no known portraits of her exist, an idealized likeness can be found on a statue in Kingston and on a Canadian stamp issued in nineteen eighty-six, ensuring her memory endures.