Red Jacket (c. 1758-1830) was a Seneca chief known more for his eloquence
than his prowess in battle. He not only represented his tribe in the
Iroquois Confederacy but also spoke on behalf of the Indians to the white
man, negotiating complex treaties with America against the British during
the Revolutionary War. Red Jacket fought with equal verve for Indian
autonomy, representing the Iroquois both in white courts for land disputes
and against Christian missionaries who sought to convert the Indians.
Nonet heless, when Red Jacket died, local missionaries took possession of
his body and gave him a Christian burial, in spite of his stand against
forcible religious conversion.