Ots-Toch
Encyclopedia
Ots-Toch is the traditional name given to a 17th century Mohawk
woman from Canajoharie
who married Dutch trader Cornelius Anthonisse Van Slyck and founded the Van Slyck family in New Netherland
.
Little is known of Ots-Toch, although she is indirectly referenced in many histories of early New York. For example, a daughter, Hillitie, chose to live with the Dutch, but served as an official Mohawk interpreter. Ots-Toch had at least three other children with Cornelius Van Slyck, and may have had more children by a Mohawk father.
Some variants of Ots-Toch's legend claim that her father was French, although this claim seems to lack historical documentation and is often considered discredited.
In local lore, Ots-Toch is often compared to Pocahontas
, though the legends of each woman are quite different. The two share some similarities: each married 1st generation immigrants and were important to the success of the respective European colonies, and each has romanticized legends that conflict with historical facts. An important point of difference, however, is the conversion
and acculturation
of Pocahontas to her English husband
, contrasted with Oct-Toch's rejection of Christianity and efforts to raise her children as Mohawks.
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
woman from Canajoharie
Canajoharie (village), New York
Canajoharie is a village in the town of Canajoharie in Montgomery County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,257...
who married Dutch trader Cornelius Anthonisse Van Slyck and founded the Van Slyck family in New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
.
Little is known of Ots-Toch, although she is indirectly referenced in many histories of early New York. For example, a daughter, Hillitie, chose to live with the Dutch, but served as an official Mohawk interpreter. Ots-Toch had at least three other children with Cornelius Van Slyck, and may have had more children by a Mohawk father.
Some variants of Ots-Toch's legend claim that her father was French, although this claim seems to lack historical documentation and is often considered discredited.
In local lore, Ots-Toch is often compared to Pocahontas
Pocahontas
Pocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
, though the legends of each woman are quite different. The two share some similarities: each married 1st generation immigrants and were important to the success of the respective European colonies, and each has romanticized legends that conflict with historical facts. An important point of difference, however, is the conversion
Conversion to Christianity
Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to some form of Christianity. It has been called the foundational experience of Christian life...
and acculturation
Acculturation
Acculturation explains the process of cultural and psychological change that results following meeting between cultures. The effects of acculturation can be seen at multiple levels in both interacting cultures. At the group level, acculturation often results in changes to culture, customs, and...
of Pocahontas to her English husband
John Rolfe
John Rolfe was one of the early English settlers of North America. He is credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia and is known as the husband of Pocahontas, daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Confederacy.In 1961, the Jamestown...
, contrasted with Oct-Toch's rejection of Christianity and efforts to raise her children as Mohawks.
Sources
- Bielinski, Stefan. Hilletie Van Slyck Van Olinda People of Colonial Albany, New York State MuseumNew York State MuseumThe New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol...
- Biasca, Cynthia Brott. Jacques Hertel and the Indian Princesses.
- Pearson, Jonathan. A history of the SchenectadySchenectady, New YorkSchenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
Patent in Dutch and English Times; being contributions towards a History of the Lower Mohawk Valley. Albany, NY. 1883.