History remembers victors. We made this patch to remember the complexities.
When most people think of 1776, they think of parchment and patriots. But the American Revolution was never a two-sided war. For the Native nations, especially the powerful Haudenosaunee Confederacy it was a moment of impossible choices, shattered alliances, and lasting consequences.
Our latest morale patch, Fractured Alliance – 1776, is a tribute to the Native warriors who stood at that crossroads of sovereignty and tradition.
At the center is a skull wearing a traditional Seneca headdress, not as a symbol of death, but as a reminder of warrior legacy and the cost of sovereignty. Beneath it, a tomahawk and flintlock cross paths, both tools wielded in defense of land, people, and uncertain futures.
But the most subtle message lies in the arrows:
This fracture tore at the heart of the Iroquois Confederacy, once a powerful alliance of six nations bound by diplomacy and kinship. By the war’s end, villages were razed, communities scattered, and a centuries-old alliance forever changed.
The coming of the war between England and her colonies brought new problems and concerns to the Six Nation Confederacy. They did not fully understand why the English were quarreling with one another, and had no desire to be drawn into what they perceived as a civil war.
Early in the revolution, Oneida leaders sent a message to the governor of New York stating: "We are unwilling to join either side of such a contest, for we love you both, Old England and New. Should the Great King of England apply us for aid, we should deny him - and should the colonies apply, we shall refuse. We Indians cannot find or recollect from the traditions of our ancestors any like case."
This neutral course could not be maintained for long however, as pressure increased from both England and the 13 States. The English particularly were insistent that the Confederacy fulfill its obligations as allies of England. In the end, the civil war aspects of the American Revolution spilled over into the Six Nations.
Unable to agree on a unified course of action, the Confederacy split, with not only nation fighting nation, but individuals within each nation taking different sides. Due to the old alliances and a belief that they stood a better chance of keeping their lands under the English, the majority of the nations supported England in some form or another. Only the Oneida and Tuscarora gave major support to the Americans.
Why this patch matters
We don’t design patches just to look cool, though it does. We design them to tell stories that often go untold. The Fractured Alliance patch is not about choosing sides; it’s about remembering that both sides came at a cost. It’s about acknowledging Native contributions to American independence, even when that independence brought further loss.
