Early Life
He was the son of a Seneca mother, Aliquipiso, and a Dutch father, Johannes Abeel. He also carried the name John Abeel (sometimes spelled O'Bail) after his fur trader father. His Seneca name, Gaiänt'wakê (often spelled Gyantwachia), means “the planter,” and another variation, Kaintwakon, means “by what one plants.” He was born at Canawaugus (now in the Town of Caledonia) on the Genesee River in present-day New York State around 1750 and was raised by his mother with the Seneca. As the Seneca and other Iroquois nations had a matrilineal system of kinship, Cornplanter was considered to be born into his mother's clan and gained his status from them.
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