“Brother Corlaer, your sachem is a great sachem, and we are but a small people.  But, when the English first came to this country, they were a small people, and we were great.  Then, because we found you to be good people, we treated you civilly and gave you land.  We hope, therefore, now that you are great and we small, you will protect us from the French.  If you do not, we shall lose all our hunting and our beavers.  The French will get all the beaver.  The French are already angry with us because we carry our beaver to our brethren here at Orange.”  — Thanohjanihta, Onondaga sachem to Colonel Thomas Dongan, lt. governor of New York, in council at Albany, July 1684

“You, great man of Virginia, we tell you that the great Penn, through his agents, spoke to us here in Corlear’s house.  He desired to buy the Susquehanna River from us, but we would not sell it for we had given it to this government.  Tell your friend, the great sachem who lives on the other side of the great lake that we are a free people, though joined to the English, and that we may give our lands, and be joined to the sachem we like best.  We give this beaver to remember what we say.” – Thanohjanihta, Onondaga sachem to Lord Howard of Effingham, governor of Virginia, in council at Albany, July 1684

“The Iroquois are born free.  We depend on neither Yonnondio nor Corlaer.  We may go where we please, and carry with us whom we please, and buy and sell what we please.  If your Indian allies are your slaves, use them as such.  You can command them to receive no other, but your people.  But, do not attempt to command us!  This belt preserves my words! – Garangula, Onondaga sachem to Joseph-Antoine le Fèbvre de La Barre, governor of New France, in council at La Famine, August 1684