Native American Indian Chief. Born Sagoyewatha in Geneva, New York, he was Chief of the Seneca Wolf clan. He fought on the side of the British in the American Revolution and was named Red Jacket from his wearing British red coats. After the hostilities, as the British ceded their territories to the Americans, Red Jacket was a critical mediator in relations between the new US Government and the Seneca tribe. He led a tribal delegation which met with President George Washington in 1792 and for his good will received a Silver Peace Medal. In 1805, a Boston missionary society requested Red Jacket’s permission to proselytize among the Iroquois settlements in northern New York State. Red Jacket stood in defense of his native religion which resulted in he being an outspoken opponent of Christianity and an advocate for preserving traditional Iroquois beliefs. In the War of 1812, the Seneca Indians went to war on the side of the United States and Red Jacket fought bravely in several battles during this conflict. By the 1820s, Christianity was gaining many adherents among the Seneca tribesmen. Red Jacket went to Washington, in 1827 and told his concerns to the Secretary of War and the head of the Indian Bureau, he was advised him to return home and show a more open attitude toward the tribe’s Christianity choices. In his final years many of his people had become Christians and after his death at his tribal village near Buffalo, New York, his wife had a Christian religious service, which he would have never approved. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)  Family links:  Parents:   Ahweyneyonh (1730 – ____)