Great Father

Great Father and Great Mother were titles used by colonial powers in North America during the 19th century to refer to the President of the United States, the Monarch of Canada, the King of Spain, or the King of France during interactions with indigenous peoples. Contrary to depictions in popular culture, there are no recorded instances of the terms "Great White Father" or "Great White Mother" being used, and such terms would be unlikely to have been adopted by indigenous Americans who generally did not have a concept of race. The addition of the word "white" may have entered popular lexicon via western adventure novels.