author
Elias Johnson
A Tuscarora chief and author, he wrote to preserve the history, traditions, and laws of the Haudenosaunee and Tuscarora peoples in his 1881 book. His work remains a valued firsthand contribution to Native American history and oral tradition.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born near Lewiston, New York, he was a chief of the Tuscarora Indians. He is best known for Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora Indians, first published in 1881.
That book was written to record traditions, beliefs, and historical memory from a Tuscarora perspective. It brings together accounts of the Six Nations and Tuscarora people, including customs, governance, religion, and community life.
Because so much of the surviving record about Indigenous nations was written by outsiders, his book stands out as an important Native-authored source. Reliable sources found here did not provide a confirmed portrait image, so no profile image is included.