Longhouse Religion

• TRIBES AFFECTED: Seneca, other Iroquois tribes

SIGNIFICANCE: The Longhouse religion, influential among the Iroquois, particularly the Senecas, stressed the importance of the family and the harmful effects of such “sins” as promiscuity, wife beating, and alcoholism.

The Longhouse religion, or the Gaiwiio, “the good word,” is the modern religious tradition that traces its roots to the Seneca prophet Handsome Lake, who delivered his prophecies in 1810. His first vision occurred in 1799. Handsome Lake was born in the Seneca village Canawaugus, near Avon, New York. He was a recognized Seneca chief, as was his half-brother, Cornplanter. Cornplanter was the better known of the two among non-Indians, having traveled widely on behalf of Seneca and general Native American issues. 

In June 1799, Handsome Lake was seriously ill and fell unconscious. He reported having a vision while in this state. In this vision, he saw three men holding berry bushes; they offered berries to Handsome Lake. The berries had a healing effect, and as he recovered, he began to talk with the three men. It was understood that one man was missing, a fourth, whom Handsome Lake later identified with the Great Spirit, who would come again later. 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, Handsome Lake 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 this initial one. Over sixteen years of activity, a “Code” of teachings was gathered and became a part of the Seneca oral tradition. The Code of Handsome Lake sounds very similar to apocalyptic biblical visions, such as those found in the books of Daniel and Revelation, in that it describes visions of heaven and hell and involves a conversation between a mortal and a being who describes what the person sees, emphasizing the importance of the 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, sexual promiscuity, wife beating, gambling, and quarrelsome family relations. Each of these “sins” was associated with a particularly graphic punishment in hell.

As the Code reads in Arthur C. Parker’s 1913 edition (based on oral tradition as it existed in 1910), it is a series of admonitions and bits of advice on preserving personal piety and family life and rejecting alcohol, gambling, and other threats to social existence. The Code is worded in a concerned and compassionate tone as advice from the Great Spirit.

Clearly, the enumerated “sins” are signs of social breakdown and trouble among the Senecas themselves in times of contact with European American culture. Indeed, the religion of Handsome Lake was to become a significant response to and survival mechanism for the Seneca people. By 1861, traditional religion among the Senecas had been almost entirely replaced by membership in either a Christian missionary church or the Longhouse religion based on the teachings of Handsome Lake. Many Senecas then, as now, saw little conflict in active membership of both movements.

Most of the information about the early development of the Handsome Lake religion, and the visions of Handsome Lake himself, come from two main sources. Arthur C. Parker, working with a descendant of Cornplanter, sponsored a project involving Edward Cornplanter and a Seneca Baptist Christian, who translated into English the oral tradition as recollected by Cornplanter himself in about 1910.

The other primary source of information is the journals of Quaker workers who lived with the Senecas at the time of Handsome Lake’s visions and were on hand to record many of those visions at the precise time of Handsome Lake’s activity. In 1798, the Quakers sponsored the work of Henry Simmons, Jr., Joel Swayne, and Halliday Jackson. They were not so much missionaries as relief workers whose intention was to teach trades and skills such as agriculture and spinning and to teach reading and writing to any young Senecas interested in attending regular school sessions held at first in Cornplanter’s home. The journals of these Quaker workers represent eyewitness accounts. The journals have been edited and published by Anthony F. C. Wallace.

The modern practice of the Longhouse religion is essentially a private affair, not open to non-Indigenous investigation. Respondents generally reply to modern questions with answers similar to the following: “I do not have the right to exploit this tradition since it is not mine to give—I am only a follower.” Modern practitioners frequently describe the Longhouse religion as “a way of living and feeling that is our way” or say that “the Earth is filled with gifts, and we should give thanks for what is received, according to the Code of Handsome Lake.”

From written accounts, it is possible to summarize Longhouse religious practice as highly personal and often emotional; it involves strong encouragement to maintain a pure lifestyle according to the teachings of Handsome Lake and emphasizes such vital matters as alcoholism and family unity. Furthermore, regular occasions are set aside for recounting the Code of Handsome Lake, which must be read before noon; this may take between three and five days. Modern estimates of Longhouse religious practice suggest that nearly half of the Seneca-Iroquois are active participants. Adherents stretch from contemporary New York into southern Canada and Oklahoma on Seneca reservations there. Non-Indigenous students interested in the Longhouse religion should exercise great care in investigating this tradition with Seneca members, keeping in mind the sad history of exploitation that is very much in the minds of most Native American practitioners of indigenous religious traditions, such as the Longhouse religion, the Shaker Church, the use of peyote (as in the Native American Church), and other expressions of religious faith.

The teachings of Handsome Lake hold cultural significance for many Haudenosaunee individuals today. The Longhouse Religion that stems from Handsome Lake's guidance is still observed in Haudenosaunee reservations across New York and parts of Ontario and Quebec.

Their faith focuses on the spirituality and unity of the family, as well as sobriety. It also includes Haudenosaunee religion and ceremonies. The ceremonies are held on a frequent basis in order to go through the Code of Handsome Lake, and such ceremonies may last for three to five days. The Longhouse Religion has played a vital role in the preservation of the Haudenosaunee culture and identity despite challenges and other influences from modern society.

Bibliography

Handsome Lake. The Code of Handsome Lake. Edited by Arthur C. Parker, New York State Museum, 1913. Bulletin 163.

Maracle, Candace. "Original Peoples Podcast Brings a New Generation Up to Speed on Haudenosaunee Teachings." CBC News, 31 Jan. 2023, cbc.ca/news/indigenous/original-peoples-podcast-haudenosaunee-1.7099605. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

"Teaching Handsome Lake's 'How America Was Discovered' as Protest Literature." Teaching Pals, 6 Nov. 2017, teachingpals.wordpress.com/2017/11/06/teaching-handsome-lakes-how-america-was-discovered-as-protest-literature/. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Wallace, Anthony F. C. Death and Rebirth of the Seneca. Knopf, 1973.

Wallace, Anthony F. C., editor. "Halliday Jackson's Journal to the Seneca Indians, 1798-1800." Pennsylvania History, vol. 19, no. 2, 1952, pp. 117+.