Talk:Louis Cook

Untitled
My apologies that this article is a bit rough. I'm trying to pull together what little I know of Colonel Louis, and I hope some of you will help with this article.

Intro
Shekon. "Joseph Louis Cook was a Mohawk chief in the 18th and early 19th centuries." Joseph Louis Cook was a St. Regis Indian chief in the 18th and early 19th centuries. This was a clear distinction untill the early to mid-20th century when the two groups merged idenity. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.48.0.117 (talk) 18:04, 28 December 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the distinction. That would be good information for the article St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, too.Mingusboodle (talk) 22:24, 28 December 2008 (UTC)


 * I changed the intro to read "Iroquois chief" instead of "Mohawk Chief." Is that better or worse?  I'm afraid calling Colonel Louis an "Iroquois chief" makes is sound like he had more influence across the confederacy than he really did.  On the other hand, his influence changed with time and circumstances.  He was primarily leading Mohawk warriors during the French & Indian War, but he commanded mostly Oneida warriors during the American Revolution.  Thoughts? Mingusboodle (talk) 22:11, 13 April 2009 (UTC)


 * He was Mohawk, and the St. Regis settlement (as it was known to Americans) was primarily made up of Mohawk. The Mohawk name for it was Akwesasne (which is how it is known in Canada as well); it was established by Mohawk families from Kahnewake who moved upriver several years before the French and Indian War. Both communities also had members of other tribes, but as an example, both are considered Mohawk reserves today. I think it would be better to describe Cook as a Mohawk chief, and then describe how he was active in different communities.Parkwells (talk) 20:37, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

African descent
Let's nail down the terminology instead of making the same changes over and over. I originally called Colonel Louis' father "African American" because he was of African descent and he lived in the Americas. You're right that the U.S. did not yet exist, and that's something to consider. The wiki article African American says "African-American history starts in the 17th century with indentured servitude in the American colonies," so the term is consistent with the way it was used, here.

If we decide that his father should be called "black", that's fine, but let's just set it and leave it one way or another. Certainly, Col. Louis was black enough that he was almost taken as a slave, so describing his ancestry by use of color could be appropriate. The articles previously linked here both have sections describing the controversy over what people of African descent should be called, so I'm not so bold as to think that we're going to suddenly find an answer that makes everbody happy.Mingusboodle (talk) 00:08, 7 November 2009 (UTC)


 * It's also confusing because Cook was adopted by and identified as Mohawk, who also adopted Europeans and were multiracial. According to British colonial law, he would have also been considered free since his mother was Native American. (Of course this could get overlooked.)Parkwells (talk) 20:40, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090420112109/http://www.doi.gov/bia/docs/oneida_deis_aug2806/Section3.6DEISAugust28th%2C2006.pdf to http://www.doi.gov/bia/docs/oneida_deis_aug2806/Section3.6DEISAugust28th%2C2006.pdf
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090420112109/http://www.doi.gov/bia/docs/oneida_deis_aug2806/Section3.6DEISAugust28th%2C2006.pdf to http://www.doi.gov/bia/docs/oneida_deis_aug2806/Section3.6DEISAugust28th%2C2006.pdf

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Wrong name
His name should be Louis Cook or Colonel Louis Cook. "Joseph Lewis" appears in a famous John Trumbull sketch, but that doesn't seem to be accurate. I think the title should be changed. Barbara Graymont's entry only mentions that name in a footnote; she refers to him as Louis Cook and Colonel Louis. The page for Mohawk Valley Museums doesn't mention the name "Joseph" at all. The Museum of the American Revolution calls him Louis Cook, only mentioning that he was commonly called Joseph Louis Cook. The Daughters of the American Revolution don't mention the name "Joseph". Darren Bonaparte, a direct descendant of Louis Cook and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe's Tribal Historic Preservation Office director does not refer to him as "Joseph" in any of his writings, but rather as Louis Cook. Even the National Park Service states that Colonel Louis was "also known" as Joseph Louis Cook. I could go on in this fashion, but it is clear that "Joseph Louis Cook" is a misnomer. Bohemian Baltimore (talk) 14:30, 16 May 2024 (UTC)