Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row

When Mohawk leader Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row, also called Hendrick Tejonihokarawa, visited the British court of Queen Anne as part of a political delegation, Dutch artist John Verelst painted multiple portraits of him. Printers disseminated copies of these portraits, including this mezzotint by engraver John Simon. Verelst, in line with a convention depicting Native American leaders in the style of European state portraits, painted Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row in a pose of authority. He holds up a wampum belt, decorated with Christian crosses, that represents the British-Mohawk alliance. This indicates the political importance of the two nations' relationship, as well as the crucial role of wampum as a purveyor of meaning in Haudenosaunee life and diplomacy. The wolf signified Tejonihokarawa's affiliation with the Mohawk people, or Kanien'kehá:ka as they call themselves.