Our new Black Sheep Joseph Brant

What’s up, everybody! Happy Saturday! For those of us in the US, I know life is kind of hectic with Thanksgiving and Black Friday around the corner! Please do not forget your health and sanity come first before any consumer goods. For all those not participating in these American Holidays, do not worry I have not forgotten you. Towards the end of year, work gets crazy, families get crazy, friends get crazy, well you get the point. So stay on your toes and try to take deep breath from here on until the New Year. As for me, with Thanksgiving around the corner, I wanted to impart you with our New Black Sheep of the Month! Now, contrary to everyone’s usual story of the origins of Thanksgiving, I wanted to impart some history from our Native American brethren. Today, I will be speaking about our new Black Sheep, Joseph Brant.

If you are an American, then it is common knowledge that there is a long, sordid, bloody past with our Native American brethren. Unfortunately, it is uncommon knowledge, that we also have a past filled with teamwork, communication, and harmony.

In light of this, I bring you our Black Sheep of the Month, Joseph Brant also known as Thayendanegea. Born March of 1743, in Ohio, Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader. He was a direct ancestor of the Mohawk Wolf Clan. Pretty badass, right?! I’m not one to assume, but with a clan like that and knowing full well the Mohawks were warriors, leaves no doubt in my mind he was the same. As a matter of fact, Brant was more than your average warrior of his clan, he was a multi war veteran. He participated in the French and Indian War, fought with the British, and participated in the American Revolutionary war. In the end, Brant received the silver medal from the British and was named chief and spokesperson for the Mohawk.

Talk about a hero, right?!

Well as you know, a Black Sheep is not just a one trick pony. A Black Sheep must be a warrior or master in multiple facets of his life. Well, as you already know full well from our previous Black Sheep, Joseph Brant was much more than just a veteran and warrior of his clan. Unlike many others, Brant rose through the ranks due to his education, networking, and capabilities. Brant was the first to not only master English, but at least three other languages from the Six Nations. Due to his networking capabilities, he was able to convince four of the six nations to ally with the British in the Revolutionary war in exchange for Quebec. Regrettably, due to the monarchy’s many losses, the exchange did not go as planned. Fortunately, after the war, Brant refused further exchanges from both American and British forces by relocating with his people to Canada where he died in Ontario on November 24, 1807.

So what makes Joseph so special besides his education and warrior spirit.

Unlike, traditional Native American roles, Brant was not born to be a chief, but had to EARN the recognition and trust of the Six Nations of Iroquois League. Among his accolades, such as the silver medal, he was appointed the rank of Captain among the British. To add to my previous points, he was very open to other beliefs and was highly receptive of other cultures. For example, he was the first to allow other veterans that were not Native American to settle on his lands due to their service. Furthermore, he was an active political activist, known to frequent the British Monarchy and illicit help from parliament, churches, and local landowners. Unlike other Native American leaders such as Tecumseh or Pontiac, he put his faith in untraditional Indian tactics, whereas most leaders believed to go out in a blaze of glory against the white men.

Our new Black Sheep, Joseph Brant was the first among Native Americans, who furthered his future through knowledge of economics and political standings.

As many of you all know by now, our Black Sheep of the Month, was created to acknowledge our leaders of our past. As Black Sheep, we must highlight individuals who went against the standards and norms set upon by their upbringing, their culture, and traditions. Now, throughout history, there are many who created a legacy as Black Sheep in their environment and in time they will all be appointed for their courage, tenacity, and selflessness, but for this month, in order to learn a bit of history and teach as well, I give you Joseph Branch. This man is the very embodiment of what it means to be a Black Sheep.

To learn more about Joseph Brant, click here. If you have any further questions feel free to contact us here or comment down below. We always want to hear your thoughts, so if you have any suggestions on next months Black Sheep, please feel free to contact us. Don’t forget to follow our social media (here and here) and check out our store here. Lastly, we appreciate all of your support, so again, thank you all for everything.