Governor Blacksnake

Governor Blacksnake
'Tah-won-ne-ahs , Thaonawyuthe
Chainbreaker, painted by John Phillips, 1845
Seneca leader
Personal details
Born	Between 1737 and 1760
Died	1859 Allegany Reservation, New York.
Resting place	Hillside Haven Cemetery, Cattaraugus County, New York
Relations	Uncles, Cornplanter and Handsome Lake
Known for	Fought with the British at Battle of Oriskany, during the American Revolutionary War; fought with the Americans in the War of 1812
Nickname(s)	Chainbreaker

Tah-won-ne-ahs or Thaonawyuthe (born between 1737 and 1760, died 1859), known in English as either Governor Blacksnake or Chainbreaker, was a Seneca war chief, who, along with other Iroquois leaders (most notably Joseph Brant), fought on the side of the British during the American Revolutionary War from 1777 to 1783, most notably at the Battle of Oriskany. Governor Blacksnake also led a successful struggle to restore the Oil Spring Reservation to the Seneca.

Governor Blacksnake was born near Seneca Lake in western New York in the Seneca/Cayuga village of Kendaia (Apple Town) and was raised in Canawaugus, New York (today known as Avon, Livingston County, NY). His birth date has been given variously from circa 1760 to as early as 1737 (as is claimed on his gravestone, which was erected 1930, though it also erroneously claims him to have been on the side of the Continental Army during the Revolution). The 1737 birthdate would have made him 121 or 122 years old at the time of death; such an early date seems implausible as no man has been verified to have lived that long. What is known is that Chainbreaker lived an exceptionally long life. He must have been at or near adulthood by the time he became a war chief.

He is well known to have fought in the French (Seven Years) War in 1756, and his death in 1859 is well documented. Thus being at least a teenager, in order to take part in war circa 1756, he must have been over 110 years minimum at death, which is reported to be December 26, 1859. Iroquois and other Native American tribal nations were well noted for their extended lifespans, and rumors such as the 'fountain of youth' were a result of Europeans seeking to find a cause of their longevity. We now know that environment, lack of diseases, genetics and specifically inherited telomeres are the likely source.

Cornplanter and Handsome Lake were his maternal uncles. Blacksnake was a member of the Wolf Clan, as were they, whose traditional function for males was to serve as war chiefs. In the matrilineal system of kinship of the Iroquois, a child's maternal uncles were very influential, as the child gained social status from his mother's clan.