This video segment from Dutch New York describes the governing system set up by the Dutch West India Company in 1624 in New Netherland. A director, a council and officers worked together to govern the colony, though they had to gain approvals from their superiors in the Netherlands, which often took months. This segment also describes the colony under the rule of director Willem Kieft, who governed from 1638 to 1647. During this time, relations between the colonists and the native peoples were strained and ultimately resulted in a two-year war known as Kieft's Indian War.