Tiyanoga, a Mohawk chief, was born about 1680 into the Mohican tribe. His father was a Mohican and his mother was a Mohawk. He was adopted by the Mohawks, who elected him a sachem of their tribe and made him an official spokesman to the whites.

In 1710, he visited England and was presented to Queen Anne. Upon his return, he spoke of England's wealth and power. This, combined with England's victory over the French at Port Royal, convinced many of his people to support English interests against the French. Because of his meeting with the queen, Tiyanoga became known as King Hendrick to the whites.

In 1751, Tiyanoga consulted with Jonathan Edwards regarding a project for educating the Mohawks. He represented his people at councils among the Six Nations of the Iroquois (the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora tribes) and the English. He made a speech at the Albany Congress upbraiding the English for leaving their American Indian allies standing between them and the French and for neglecting to maintain their frontier defenses. Tiyanoga was considered a prominent American Indian of his time, always speaking out for the Iroquois against colonial incursions into their territories.

In 1754 he joined American forces in the French and Indian War at the request of General Johnson. Tiyanoga died at the Battle of Lake George, New York on September 8, 1755.

Source: Tiyanoga Maggie Red Bear's Bear Clan Pages (August 1, 2001); Tiyanoga Haudenosaunee: People Building a Long House; Who Was Who in America. Chicago, Illinois: A.N. Marqus Co., 1967.