Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk or Peter Wilson (died 1871, alternate spellings are Waowawanaonk, Wau-wah-wa-na-onk, and De jih'-non-da-weh-hoh) [1] was a Cayuga physician and possible chief. His name translates roughly to "They Heard His Voice" or "The Pacificator." [1] [2]
Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk was raised on the Seneca Buffalo Reservation and was educated in Quaker schools on the reservation. [1] He graduated with a medical degree from Geneva Medical College in 1844. [3] He was one of the first Native Americans to earn a medical degree. [4] Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk also worked as an interpreter on the Cattaraugus Reservation. [1] Some records list him as a chief, or a "Grand Sachem," but it was uncertain if he officially held the title. [1] [5]
Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk was a signatory on a fraudulent land treaty executed in 1838 and signed as a chief. [1] He worked with the Quakers to have the treaty reversed, creating another treaty in 1842. [1] On behalf of the Cayuga people in New York, he wrote a letter to the Governor of New York in 1843. [6] In 1846, Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk spoke to the New York Historical Society about regaining Iroquois land lost through fraud. [2] Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk petitioned the New York State Legislature in 1853 in order to address the issue of State compensation to the Cayuga's loss of land. [5] He continued to seek the case in 1861 after the state did not appropriate funds for the Cayuga. [5]
He often spoke to different groups in New York in order to obtain allies in his cause to maintain the homeland of both the Seneca and Cayuga people. [1] He also urged groups to support women's suffrage. [7]
Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk or Peter Wilson (died 1871, alternate spellings are Waowawanaonk, Wau-wah-wa-na-onk, and De jih'-non-da-weh-hoh) [1] was a Cayuga physician and possible chief. His name translates roughly to "They Heard His Voice" or "The Pacificator." [1] [2]
Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk was raised on the Seneca Buffalo Reservation and was educated in Quaker schools on the reservation. [1] He graduated with a medical degree from Geneva Medical College in 1844. [3] He was one of the first Native Americans to earn a medical degree. [4] Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk also worked as an interpreter on the Cattaraugus Reservation. [1] Some records list him as a chief, or a "Grand Sachem," but it was uncertain if he officially held the title. [1] [5]
Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk was a signatory on a fraudulent land treaty executed in 1838 and signed as a chief. [1] He worked with the Quakers to have the treaty reversed, creating another treaty in 1842. [1] On behalf of the Cayuga people in New York, he wrote a letter to the Governor of New York in 1843. [6] In 1846, Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk spoke to the New York Historical Society about regaining Iroquois land lost through fraud. [2] Wa-o-wa-wa-na-onk petitioned the New York State Legislature in 1853 in order to address the issue of State compensation to the Cayuga's loss of land. [5] He continued to seek the case in 1861 after the state did not appropriate funds for the Cayuga. [5]
He often spoke to different groups in New York in order to obtain allies in his cause to maintain the homeland of both the Seneca and Cayuga people. [1] He also urged groups to support women's suffrage. [7]