Chief Katonah
Encyclopedia
Chief Katonah was a Native American
Munsee sachem
for all Wiechquaeskeck in the Greenwich, Stamford, and Bedford area, from whom the land of the town of Bedford, New York
was purchased. The hamlet of Katonah, New York
, located within Bedford, is named for him. He was Sachem
of Ramapoo. The Ramapoo Sachemdom was part of the Tankiteke Chieftaincy of the Wappinger
Confederacy, of the Mohegan
group of the Algonquian
.
Chief Katonah, was the sachem of the condensed remnant tribes at Ramapoo. He lived in the area in the late seventeenth century. Records show that in 1708 the Ridgefield settlers petitioned the General Assembly at Hartford to remove the Indians at Ramapoo. Katonah sold the Ramapoo lands of 20,000 acres for 100 Pounds Sterling to the "Proprietors of Ridgefield". His name appears on land deeds up to 1743. The Remnant tribe of the Ramapoo scattered to the North and West. Chief Catonah was the son of Onox and the grandson of Ponus. Catonah had a brother named Onox. Catonah was the successor to Powahay, also a grandson of Ponus. Catonah's daughter married Sam Mohawk alias Chicken Warrups. Tapgow, son of Ponus, signed many land deeds in Northern Jersey including the Schyuler Patent or Ramapo Tract Deed in 1710 in North Jersey.
Legend has it that he died of grief after his wife, Cantitoe, sometimes known as Mustato, and their son, Papiag, were killed by lightning. Chief Katonah is said to be buried with his wife and son in Katonah's Wood, off Rt. 22. The Chief, as the story is told, is said to be buried beneath a giant boulder, and his wife and son are buried beneath two smaller immediately adjacent boulders. This is recounted by William Will's poem Katonah. Cantitoe was said to be a Pompton Indian.
In 2007, Martha Stewart Living applied for a trademark on the Katonah name for a line of furniture. Members of the Ramapough Lenape Nation who are descendents of Katonah joined forces with the Town of Katonah to oppose it.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
Munsee sachem
Sachem
A sachem[p] or sagamore is a paramount chief among the Algonquians or other northeast American tribes. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms from different Eastern Algonquian languages...
for all Wiechquaeskeck in the Greenwich, Stamford, and Bedford area, from whom the land of the town of Bedford, New York
Bedford (town), New York
Bedford is a town in Westchester County, New York, USA. The population was 17,335 at the 2010 census.The Town of Bedford is located in the northeastern part of Westchester County, and contains the three hamlets of Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, and Katonah...
was purchased. The hamlet of Katonah, New York
Katonah, New York
Katonah, New York is one of three unincorporated hamlets within the town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, United States.-History:Katonah is named for Chief Katonah, an American Indian from whom the land of Bedford was purchased by a group of English colonists...
, located within Bedford, is named for him. He was Sachem
Sachem
A sachem[p] or sagamore is a paramount chief among the Algonquians or other northeast American tribes. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms from different Eastern Algonquian languages...
of Ramapoo. The Ramapoo Sachemdom was part of the Tankiteke Chieftaincy of the Wappinger
Wappinger
The Wappinger were an American tribe native to eastern New York. The term "Wappinger" may also refer to:* Wappinger, New York, the Town of Wappinger named for the tribe...
Confederacy, of the Mohegan
Mohegan
The Mohegan tribe is an Algonquian-speaking tribe that lives in the eastern upper Thames River valley of Connecticut. Mohegan translates to "People of the Wolf". At the time of European contact, the Mohegan and Pequot were one people, historically living in the lower Connecticut region...
group of the Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
.
Chief Katonah, was the sachem of the condensed remnant tribes at Ramapoo. He lived in the area in the late seventeenth century. Records show that in 1708 the Ridgefield settlers petitioned the General Assembly at Hartford to remove the Indians at Ramapoo. Katonah sold the Ramapoo lands of 20,000 acres for 100 Pounds Sterling to the "Proprietors of Ridgefield". His name appears on land deeds up to 1743. The Remnant tribe of the Ramapoo scattered to the North and West. Chief Catonah was the son of Onox and the grandson of Ponus. Catonah had a brother named Onox. Catonah was the successor to Powahay, also a grandson of Ponus. Catonah's daughter married Sam Mohawk alias Chicken Warrups. Tapgow, son of Ponus, signed many land deeds in Northern Jersey including the Schyuler Patent or Ramapo Tract Deed in 1710 in North Jersey.
Legend has it that he died of grief after his wife, Cantitoe, sometimes known as Mustato, and their son, Papiag, were killed by lightning. Chief Katonah is said to be buried with his wife and son in Katonah's Wood, off Rt. 22. The Chief, as the story is told, is said to be buried beneath a giant boulder, and his wife and son are buried beneath two smaller immediately adjacent boulders. This is recounted by William Will's poem Katonah. Cantitoe was said to be a Pompton Indian.
In 2007, Martha Stewart Living applied for a trademark on the Katonah name for a line of furniture. Members of the Ramapough Lenape Nation who are descendents of Katonah joined forces with the Town of Katonah to oppose it.