Six Nations document signed with the holograph totems of fourteen chiefs of the Six Nations, [Lancaster?], 28 July 1769

SIX NATIONS

A RECEIPT FROM THE SIX NATIONS FOR $10,000 FROM THOMAS AND RICHARD PENN

Manuscript document on vellum (14 5/8 x 9 1/4 in.; 370 x 235 mm, irregular), signed with the holograph totems of fourteen chiefs of the Six Nations, [Lancaster?], 28 July 1769, docketed in left margin "A Receipt from the Six Nations for £4000 Currency or 30,000 Dollars," witnessed by Nord. MacLeod, Henry Frey, Pat Daly, and Justice Jacob Cook, with slit at lower right, evidently for suspension of a seal; soiled and a little wrinkled.

Fulfilling the Treaty of Fort Stanwix. This important receipt acknowledges the final payment for the vast tract of land ceded by the Six Nations at the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix. By the treaty, the Iroquois people relinquished their claims "to lands east and south of a line which ran roughly from the vicinity of Fort Stanwix in New York southward to the Delaware, then southwestwardly to the Allegheny, and down that river and the Ohio to the mouth of the Tennessee" (Dictionary of American History 3:99).

The document reads: "Received from the honorable Thomas and Richard Penn Esqs. true and absolute Proprietaries of Pennsylvania by the hands of the honorable Sir William Johnson Baronet the sum of ten thousand Dollars being the full consideration of the Lands lately sold to them by the Indians of the Six Nations at the late Treaty of Fort Stanwix. We say received this Twenty Eighth day of July—Anno Domini 1769 for ourselves and the other Indians of the Six Nations and their confederates and dependent Tribes for whom we act and by whom we are appointed and empowered."

English scribes have written the names of the Native American signatories: Anahgog-are, Onoghranoron, Onughshiny, "For the Cajuga Nation by the desire of the whole," Anaquadecka, "Abraham, for the Mohawks," Johannes Tekaridoge, Jonathan Kayeagwiregowai, Joseph Thayendanegea, James Sussarowane, Lodourikc Aughsawata, Joseph Tagahwaron, Serrehoana, and Sayuni. Next to these names the signers have written the totems of the snake, fox, crow, turtle, tomahawk, and other totems of both nations and individuals.

"The Treaty of Stanwix marked the end of a series of discussions between the English and the Indians about white settlement in Indian lands. In October 1768, about 3,400 Indians arrived at Fort Stanwix in New York to meet with British representatives. This was the largest meeting of Indians that had ever taken place. The Indians agreed to allow white settlers to claim land east and south of the Ohio River without fear of Indian reprisal. … The Indians were left with the lands to the west of this line" (Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History).

With their Allegheny lands ceded, the Six Nations were eventually displaced. The Mohawk and Cayuga went north to Canada; the Oneida settled in Wisconsin; and the Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora remained in upstate New York.

For another receipt from this treaty (on paper), see Sotheby's New York Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana catalogue, 16 December 1992, lot 262, now in the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

PROVENANCE:
"Relics of the Penn Family" (AAA-Anderson Galleries, 15 December 1930, lot 233) — John Gribbel (Parke-Bernet, 23 January 1941, lot 326)

Condition Report:
Manuscript document on vellum (14 5/8 x 9 1/4 in.; 370 x 235 mm, irregular), signed with the holograph totems of fourteen chiefs of the Six Nations, [Lancaster?], 28 July 1769, docketed in left margin "A Receipt from the Six Nations for £4000 Currency or 30,000 Dollars, witnessed by Nord. MacLeod, Henry Frey, Pat Daly, and Justice Jacob Cook, with slit at lower right, evidently for suspension of a seal; soiled and a little wrinkled.

In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.