Deskaheh

Levi General
Deskaheh
Photograph of Chief Deskaheh appearing in 'The Graphic', 1922
Cayuga statesman
In office 1917–1925
Personal details
Born	(1873-03-15)March 15, 1873 Tuscarora Township, Ont.
Died	June 27, 1925(1925-06-27) (aged 52) Tuscarora Reservation, New York
Spouse(s)	Mary Bergen
Relations	Seven brothers and sisters, including Alex General
Children	Four daughters, including Rachel General
Parents	William General (Cayuga) Lydia Burnham (Oneida)

Levi General (March 15, 1873 - June 27, 1925), commonly known as 'Deskaheh', was a Haudenosaunee hereditary chief and appointed speaker noted for his persistent efforts to get recognition for his people. He is most famous for bringing Iroquois concerns before the League of Nations in the 1920s.

Levi General was raised and educated as a traditional Cayuga, participating actively in Longhouse ceremonies. In addition to his first language, Cayuga, he also spoke the other Iroquois dialects. He worked as a lumberjack in the Allegheny Mountains in western New York and Pennsylvania. An accident forced him to return and he began to farm near Millpond, in the vicinity of Ohsweken on the Six Nations Reserve, where he married and had four daughters.

The Six Nations in Canada faced two levels of colonial administration in the early 1920s because although Canada had its own confederation government since 1867, its military and foreign policy were controlled by the British until 1949. Although some Grand River Indians wanted to become Canadian citizens, others were loyal to Britain; 292 of them had served Britain in World War I, including Mohawk Captain A. George E. Smith, father of Jay Silverheels. It was in this context that Levi General worked to fight for his nation's concerns.

In 1917, General became hereditary chief of the Cayuga with the title "'Deskaheh'", meaning "more than eleven". Deskaheh travelled to London in August, 1921 with attorney George P. Decker, who was hired by the Six Nations as counsel. Because the Canadian government would have denied him permission to travel, the Six Nations Confederacy issued their own passport for Deskaheh at the advice of Decker. Deskaheh appeared at the Hippodrome "in full regalia" and also distributed a pamphlet entitled "Petition and Case of the Six Nations of the Grand River".Winston Churchill, British undersecretary for the colonies at the time, stated the petition should be returned to the Canadian government, so Decker and Deskaheh returned to the United States.