Four Kings and a Queen: Part III— Onigoheriago
Four Kings and a Queen: Part III— Onigoheriago By: Loretta Tucker Onigoheriago - portrait by John Verelst 1710 T his article is a continuation in our series exploring the stories of the “Four Indian Kings” who visited Queen Anne in London in 1710. This time we will be examining the life of Johannes Onigoheriago. Of the four “Kings”, the least is known about Onigoheriago. He was not as prominent as the others, and there is therefore little documentation about his life. We do know that he was a Mohawk, and belonged to the Wolf clan. This meant that he shared a clan affiliation with Hendrick Tejonihokarawa, the most influential of the four, though it’s unclear how closely related they may have been. Ongioheriago’s wife, Louisa, of the Mohawk Turtle clan, had been baptized some time prior to 1700. Based on the name she was given, it is likely she was baptized by a French Jesuit priest. However, Native American Christians did not always remain with the denomination they h...
