Mahomet Weyonomon Denkmal

Outside the cathedral is a memorial to Mahomet Weyonomon, the Sachem (chief) of the Mohegan tribe, who came to London in 1735 to ask King George II for justice for his tribe. Settlers of the then colony Connecticut quickly intervened in the homeland of his people. Weyonon's grandfather had previously visited London to seek Queen Anne, who supported him. However, those responsible in the Connecticut colony did not abide by the queen's decision to return the stolen land to the Mohegan, and the natives increasingly found their land disappearing through the white settlers. Weyonomon and two sympathetic colonists traveled to England to again ask for the return of the tribal lands. Unfortunately Weyonomon fell ill in 1736 at the young age of 36 years of smallpox. He died before the commission appointed by the king ever heard his case. As a foreigner, Weyonomon could not be buried in the city, although the Europeans accompanying him on the trip could have. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Southwark at a nocturnal funeral that did not conform to customary tribal traditions. In 2006, a modern monument was donated by Queen Elizabeth II. The sculpture, which consists of a pink granite rock imported from Connecticut, was designed by British artist Peter Randall-Page. A traditional funerary ceremony was performed by members of the Mohegan tribe, giving Weyonomon both the royal recognition and the final farewell that he was denied 200 years ago.