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Summary |
| Pieter Van Olinda, inhabitant of [Schenectady], who declares that in true rights, free ownership, he grants, conveys and makes over by these presents, to and for the behoof of Mr. Jan Clute, his heirs and successors or assigns, the grantor’s certain great island lying on the Maaquaas kil (Mohawk river) at Canastagioené (Niskayuna) to his wife Hilleken Cornelise [Van Slyck], given by the sachems of the Mohawks, the lawful owners, of date the 11th of June, 1667, with such title as the grantor has therein… | Pieter van Olinda sells his property to Jan Clute. This property, the island at Niskayuna, was given to his wife Hilleken by Mohawk leaders on June 11, 1667. |
E.B. O’Callaghan, ed., Documents relative to the colonial history of the state of New-York : procured in Holland, England, and France, 1853-1887. Library of Congress.
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Summary |
| Lastly we recommend to your Excellency and the Gents of Albany Hilleken the Interpreter who doth good service for the publick and is our mouth and ears, take her as the daughter, and provide for her that she may not want since she is so serviceable to both, to us and to you and we recommend her to mind her business well and to interpret a right as well on your Excellencys side as on ours. Doe give her 4 pieces Beavers. | We recommend Hilleken as an interpreter. She is our interpreter. Treat her well so she can provide good services for both of us. She will do a good job for you. Give her four beavers pelts. |
Jonathan Pearson, ed., Early Records of the City and County of Albany: Deeds 1656-1675 i.e. 1679. United States: University of the State of New York, 1869. Accessed via Google Books.
Background
Hilletie van Slyck was the daughter of Ots-Toch, a Mohawk woman, and Cornelis van Slyck, a Dutch trader. Her mother raised Hilletie and her two brothers in the Mohawk community, near a small Dutch settlement now known as Schenectady.
When Hilletie was around seventeen years old, she left the Mohawk community and moved in with a Dutch woman in Schenectady. There she learned to read, write, and speak Dutch. She was also baptized as a Christian. Hilletie used her knowledge of Dutch and Mohawk to become an interpreter. After the English took over New Netherland in 1664, she also translated for the English. She married Pieter van Olinda, a Dutch tailor and farmer. They had several children.
About the Document
These documents show that Hilletie van Slyck was well respected by the Haudenosaunee communities in her area. The first document records a gift the Mohawk gave Hilletie for her work as a translator. The Mohawk granted the Great Island at Niskayuna to Hilletie on June 11, 1667. We know this because her husband Pieter van Olinda sold the island to Jan Clute on May 8, 1668. Though the Mohawk had granted the island to Hilletie, under English law women could not own property, so her husband was responsible for the sale.
The second document is a letter from leaders of the Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca communities to Henry Sloughter, the English governor of the colony of New York. They recommend Hilletie as an interpreter and suggest a payment of four beaver pelts for her services. The recommendation to the English governor reveals that at some point Hilletie learned English. Historical records show that the English colonial government paid Hilletie in English money rather than beaver pelts.
Vocabulary
- Cayuga: An Indigenous community that originally inhabited the area now known as upstate New York. One of the five founding nations of the Haudenosaunee. Today there is a Cayuga community in upstate New York.
- Haudenosaunee: The preferred name of the tribal alliance previously known as the Iroquois Confederacy. Haudenosaunee territory covers much of upstate and western New York. There were five tribes in the original Haudenosaunee alliance: Mohawk, Onondauga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca. The Tuscarora joined the alliance in 1722.
- Mohawk: An Indigenous community that originally inhabited the area now known as New Jersey, New York, and southeastern Canada. One of the five founding nations of the Haudenosaunee. Today there are Mohawk communities in upstate New York and Quebec and Ontario, Canada.
- Oneida: An Indigenous community that originally inhabited the area now known as upstate New York. One of the five founding nations of the Haudenosaunee. Today there are Oneida communities in New York, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada.
- Onondaga: An Indigenous community that originally inhabited the area now known as upstate New York. One of the five founding nations of the Haudenosaunee. Today there are Onondaga communities in New York and Canada.
Discussion Questions
- Why did Hilletie van Slyck become an interpreter for the Mohawk, Dutch, and English?
- What do these documents reveal about Hilletie van Slyck’s relationship with the Mohawk and the English?
- Why were interpreters like Hilletie van Slyck important members of colonial communities?
Suggested Activities
- APUSH Connection: 2.5 Interactions Between American Indians and Europeans
- Include this document in a lesson about the trade relationships between European colonists and Indigenous communities. This resource highlights the importance of communication and trade between the different people living in these communities.
- Pair this resource with Dutch Interpreter. What did Sara Roelofs Kierstede van Borsum and Hilletie van Slyck have in common? How were their experiences as translators different? How might each woman have related differently to the Indigenous and European communities they worked with?
- Combine this document with the following resources for a lesson on how women played an important role as mediators between Indigenous populations and colonists in every colonial empire:
Themes
POWER AND POLITICS
