Handsome Lake
Handsome Lake was a prominent Seneca (Iroquois) prophet whose visions laid the foundation for the Longhouse religion, known as Gaiwiio, or the Good Word. Born in the late 18th century in Canawaugus, New York, Handsome Lake experienced a significant vision in June 1799 while gravely ill. During this vision, he encountered three figures who imparted teachings condemning various social issues such as alcoholism and witchcraft, urging him to guide his people toward a better way of life. Over the next sixteen years, he received additional visions that provided a moral code resembling apocalyptic narratives, detailing concepts of heaven and hell and the consequences of specific sins. The teachings he shared led to a substantial transformation in religious practices among the Seneca, with many aligning themselves with either the Longhouse religion or Christianity by the Civil War. Handsome Lake's movement remains influential today, with practitioners found in Canada, New York, and Oklahoma, where the Seneca community is primarily located. His life and teachings continue to resonate within the cultural and spiritual landscape of the Seneca people.
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Handsome Lake
- Born: c. 1735
- Birthplace: Canawaugus Village on the Genessee River near Avon, New York
- Died: August 10, 1815
- Place of death: Onondaga, New York
Tribal affiliation: Seneca
Significance: Handsome Lake was the founder of the Longhouse religion, widely practiced among the Iroquois
Handsome Lake was the Seneca (Iroquois) prophet whose visions became the basis for the Longhouse religion, or the Gaiwiio, the Good Word. This Seneca traditional religious movement is still practiced in Canada, New York, and Oklahoma, where the Seneca people are concentrated. Handsome Lake was born at the Seneca village, Canawaugus, near Avon, New York. He was a recognized Seneca chief. His first vision occurred in 1799.
In June, 1799, Handsome Lake was seriously ill and fell unconscious. He reported having a vision during this state. In this vision he saw three men holding berry bushes, who then offered berries to Handsome Lake. The berries had a healing effect, and as he recovered, he began to talk with the men. It was understood that there was one man missing, a fourth whom Handsome Lake later identified with the Great Spirit, who would come again at a later time. During his conversations with the three men, Handsome Lake heard them condemn alcoholism, pronounce a death sentence on a witch, and condemn witchcraft generally. Handsome Lake himself was told not to drink anymore. Furthermore, he was given to understand that his sins were not unforgivable and that he was to teach his people the proper way to live.
Handsome Lake had many such visions after the initial one, and over more than sixteen years of activity, a code of teachings was gathered and became a part of Seneca oral tradition. The code, which sounds very similar to apocalyptic biblical visions such as those found in the books of Daniel and Revelation, includes descriptions of heaven and hell. It involves a conversation between Handsome Lake and a being who describes what Handsome Lake is seeing and verifies its important message. Among the more significant of the visions of Handsome Lake are his reports of punishments in hell for specific sins, such as stinginess, alcoholism, witchcraft, promiscuity, wife-beating, gambling, and quarrelsome family relations. Each of these sins was associated with a particularly graphic punishment in hell.
The religious visions of Handsome Lake were the basis for a nearly complete transformation in the religion and practice of the Seneca. By the Civil War (1861), nearly all Seneca considered themselves members of either a Christian church or the Longhouse religion, and many considered active participation in both to be acceptable. The Longhouse religion of Handsome Lake was similar to other prophetic movements, such as Wovoka’s and John Slocum’s.
Bibliography
Handsome Lake. The Code of Handsome Lake. Edited by Arthur C. Parker. Albany: University of the State of New York, 1913.
Wallace, Anthony F. C. Death and Rebirth of the Seneca. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1973.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗, ed. “Halliday Jackson’s Journal to the Seneca Indians, 1798-1800.” Part 1. Pennsylvania History 19, no. 2 (1952): 117-147.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗, ed. “Halliday Jackson’s Journal to the Seneca Indians, 1798-1800.” Part 2. Pennsylvania History 19, no. 3 (1952): 325-349.