her three faces
Born sometime in the 1730s, Molly Brant spent the majority of her life in the Mohawk River Valley, the historical land of her tribe and part of the Iroquois Confederacy. The circumstances of her birth and childhood conspired to make her the political influence she was to later become. Growing up she experienced a blending of her native Mohawk tradition with European custom, and this early exposure to European ways of life is often credited for her later political acumen. She spoke both English and Mohawk fluently, and attended church regularly. As an adult, she met and fell in love with Sir William Johnson, First Baronet and Superintendent of Indian Affairs of the northern district. About 20 years her senior, she and Sir Johnson met due to his working relationship with her stepfather, Brant Kanagaradunkwa, sachem of the Turtle clan. Molly and Sir Johnson were together for over a decade and had nine children together before his death in 1774, just before the war officially began. After Sir Johnson's death, Molly moved frequently during the war negotiating and mediating between the British and the Iroquois Confederacy. Her political legacy includes sheltering British soldiers, passing along information to the Loyalists, and generally advocating for British interests in Iroquois meetings. As a Loyalist woman during the war she was unable to stay in one place too long surrounded by patriots, so she kept in motion for the duration of the war working for British interests and settling in Canada after the war until her death in 1796.
The notion of her three faces refers to her different roles ascribed to her throughout her life: Mohawk by birth, European by marriage, and Loyalist by political design. She is lauded for her force of nature and political influence, and her legacy has reached an almost mythical status. However, there is a common thread woven throughout the dominant scholastic narrative of her life that grounds her power in her relationship with men both Mohawk and European. First her stepfather, then her husband, then her brother, her power is explained away as a product of association. There is a common narrative of one exceptional woman that rises above the feminine herd due to her innate "spark" that is then recognized and nurtured by men until she can hold her own. This trope is exploited by authors, playwrights, and historians alike, and Molly's story is not immune to this seductive archetype. This watered-down version of a powerful woman relies squarely on European patriarchal ideals, and therein lies the crucial error in viewing Molly's legacy through this lens. Only one of her faces was European, for she was Mohawk through and through. The Iroquois are matrilineal with power and descent traced through the mothers, as opposed to the fathers in European custom. Iroquois women are keepers of the culture and are responsible for defining the political, social, and economic status quo of their tribes. Molly was born to this female legacy and raised in a culture of powerful women as the norm, so to evaluate her political legacy as a product of men's power is only telling part of the story. Molly Brant was a political powerhouse who balanced her often conflicting roles as Mohawk and European with grace and strength until her death, and her legacy is such that she remains an inspirational figure more than 200 years later.
The notion of her three faces refers to her different roles ascribed to her throughout her life: Mohawk by birth, European by marriage, and Loyalist by political design. She is lauded for her force of nature and political influence, and her legacy has reached an almost mythical status. However, there is a common thread woven throughout the dominant scholastic narrative of her life that grounds her power in her relationship with men both Mohawk and European. First her stepfather, then her husband, then her brother, her power is explained away as a product of association. There is a common narrative of one exceptional woman that rises above the feminine herd due to her innate "spark" that is then recognized and nurtured by men until she can hold her own. This trope is exploited by authors, playwrights, and historians alike, and Molly's story is not immune to this seductive archetype. This watered-down version of a powerful woman relies squarely on European patriarchal ideals, and therein lies the crucial error in viewing Molly's legacy through this lens. Only one of her faces was European, for she was Mohawk through and through. The Iroquois are matrilineal with power and descent traced through the mothers, as opposed to the fathers in European custom. Iroquois women are keepers of the culture and are responsible for defining the political, social, and economic status quo of their tribes. Molly was born to this female legacy and raised in a culture of powerful women as the norm, so to evaluate her political legacy as a product of men's power is only telling part of the story. Molly Brant was a political powerhouse who balanced her often conflicting roles as Mohawk and European with grace and strength until her death, and her legacy is such that she remains an inspirational figure more than 200 years later.
THE MOVEMENT OF A LOYALIST WOMAN
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As a Loyalist during the Revolutionary War, Molly was doomed to flee her homeland. Many Loyalist women travelled far during the war to escape harassment and sought refuge in Canada. Molly in particular travelled hundreds upon hundreds of miles throughout the war until she, like many other Loyalist women, settled in Canada. Click the button to the right to click through a story map that showcases highlights of her long journey.
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