Handsome Lake and the Longhouse Religion: Acculturation as a Means of Survival

Since the arrival of Europeans in the Americas, Native populations have had to learn to adapt and adjust to the European culture while fighting to maintain their own. In the mid-1700’s the Iroquois were experiencing such a crisis in the face of the systematic destruction of their culture by white settlers. They had to learn how to survive under a dominant Christian society whose ways and morals were very different from their own, as well as how to sustainably incorporate new material goods, such as metal tools and alcohol.

In response to these new obstacles, many Native Americans began to turn to prophets for guidance, who often crafted new religions that incorporated both traditional Native American ceremonies alongside Christian principles. Through these revitalization movements, groups such as the Iroquois were able to survive through acculturation. One such prophet was a Seneca man named Handsome Lake, who introduced the Longhouse Religion and the Gaiwiio, which emphasized the importance of maintaining Iroquois traditions such as dances and festivals, while imposing a new moral order that was heavily emphasized by Christianity. By incorporating these elements, the Iroquois created a way to survive in a new society and maintain their own cultures that is still practiced in modern times.

The purpose of this pathfinder is to locate information about the phenomenon of revitalization movements, with a focus on Handsome Lake and his message as an example of them. It contains a history of the Seneca people and of Handsome Lake’s life, offers psychological analyses of the fundamentals of revitalizing religious movements, and an in depth examination of the Gaiwiio. The information contained helps to answer the question of how the inclusion of Christian elements in the Longhouse Religion helped the Iroquois to survive, and the great impact that they had on the Seneca society.

Primary Sources:

Handsome Lake. “I. Address of Handsome Lake, [10 March 1802],” Founders Online, National Archives. Accessed April 16^th, 2017. http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-37-02-0026-0002. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 37, 4 March–30 June 1802, ed. Barbara B. Oberg. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010, pp. 33–35.]

An address given by Handsome Lake himself, this source offers an invaluable look into the mind of the creator of The Longhouse Religion. We get to hear in Handsome Lake’s own words how he had been directed by the great creator to lead the Seneca people in a new form of interaction with their “white brothers.” It highlights the incorporation of Christian elements in the form of references to angels and an almighty spirit. This address is found in a series of correspondence between Handsome Lake and Thomas Jefferson on the Founders archive.

Handsome Lake, and Arthur Caswell Parker. The Code of Handsome Lake, the Seneca Prophet. Ohsweken, Ont: Iroqrafts, 1983. Accessed April 10^th, 2017. http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/.

This book is a published version of the Code of Handsome Lake. It is an invaluable source as it is a written version of all of the tenements of The Longhouse Religion, and all the sections can be evaluated in an in depth manner for their content, including religious influence. The information included is extensive, and offers a clear look into the way of life of The Seneca and Handsome Lake’s influence.

Jefferson, Thomas. “From Thomas Jefferson to Handsome Lake, 3 November 1802,” Founders Online, National Archives. Accessed March 30th, 2017. http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-38-02-0563.

A letter written to Handsome Lake by the President of the United States during Handsome Lake’s time, Thomas Jefferson. This letter speaks to the way that whites, especially whites in power, viewed Handsome Lake’s teachings. It demonstrates that by conforming to the cultural values of whites, they are more willing to interact respectfully with Native people. Whether it is genuine or not, Jefferson speaks respectfully to Handsome Lake and praises him for the work he is doing, calling it humane and offering his support. The respectful tone and words used by Jefferson indicate a friendly intention toward Handsome Lake, which is different from how Jefferson usually deals with Natives, which is hostile. By following white cultural values, Handsome Lake has gained the favor of the president, is promised his support and, to a degree, protection. This is a clear example of how acculturation helps the Natives to survive in this society by avoiding hostility from whites in power.

Wallace, Anthony F. C. "Halliday Jackson’s Journal To The Seneca Indians, 1798-1800: Part II." Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 19, no. 3 (1952): 325-49. Accessed April 12th, 2017. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27769330.

This is the journal of a man who lived with the Seneca during the rise of Handsome Lake’s religion. It offers a firsthand account of the lifestyles and traditions of the Seneca, and of Handsome Lake’s visions. It describes their traditional matrilineal practices and the change to a patrilineal system based on the Gaiwiio and an introduction to a written book of religion. This journal provides the interesting perspective of a European outsider, and demonstrates the attitudes of the Europeans.

Secondary Sources:

Canfield, William W. The Legend of The Iroquois, Told By “The Cornplanter.”  New York: A Wessels Co, 1902. Accessed March 24th, 2017. Online. https://archive.org/details/legendiroquois00canfrich.

This book account of how Handsome Lake became a prophet, how he worked to keep cultural practices such as dances but include new practices. It describes the state that Handsome Lake was in before he had his visions, as well as detailing the visions themselves. It is full of very useful information about the history of the Seneca and information on The Longhouse religion.

Fadden, Ray. "The Visions of Handsome Lake." Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 22, no. 4 (1955): 341-58. Accessed March 4^th, 2017. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27769624.

This article gives detailed history of Handsome Lake and an account of his teachings. It also offers information about Seneca society and the history of Cornplanter and how it related to Handsome Lake. This source offers an accessible reading and explanation of Handsome Lake’s life, how he was shaped by Seneca history, and how his visions altered Seneca society. Illustrations and photographs are included, including an interesting photograph of the bead record of Handsome Lake.

Tooker, Elisabeth. "On the New Religion of Handsome Lake." Anthropological Quarterly 41, no. 4 (1968): 187-200. Accessed March 6^th, 2017. doi:10.2307/3316726.

This article provides an in-depth sociological analysis of the rise of The Longhouse Religion. It describes the commonality in other such religious movements and how they function to alter society and act as a form of group therapy to aid in social unity. It specifically mentions the inclusion of such Christian elements as heaven and hell and how Christian concepts had made their way into the mindset of Handsome Lake through missionaries in surrounding villages.

Wallace, A.F.C. “Revitalization Movements.” American Anthropologist, 58: 264–281. Accessed March 4^th, 2017. doi:10.1525/aa.1956.58.2.02a00040.

This article provides an anthropological analysis of why revitalization movements occur, examining them with Handsome Lake as an example. It details the societal need form movements to band together, and how they have recurred many times in history. It discusses revitalization movements as a means for stress-reduction in society, such as the Seneca responding to pressures to assimilate. This article provides a necessary look into the societal demands that were integral to the spread of The Longhouse Religion.

Books:

Wallace, Anthony F. C., and Sheila C. Steen. The Death and Rebirth of the Seneca. New York: Vintage, 1972. Print.

This book has an incredible amount of information about The Seneca. It offers a great deal of history and detail in the practices and importance of their ceremonies, the circumstances of their down fall, and details of Handsome Lake’s life and the impact it had on the Seneca. It gives an account of Handsome Lake’s visions, and how they altered the fabric of their society. This book was probably the most useful source of information I found in my research, and through reading it, one gains a greater understanding of the Seneca people overall.

Walle, Alf H. 2004. The Path of Handsome Lake: A Model of Recovery for Native People. Greenwich, Conn, 2004. Print.

This book gives a psychological explanation of why and how Handsome Lake’s revitalization movement got started and why it was needed and successful. It examines it through the lens of terror management theory, which says that it was a reaction to the traumatic experiences that Iroquois faced and the anxiety they felt that their society and their lives weren’t lasting. It explains how gender roles changed, and how Handsome Lake’s religion and journey was a response to alcoholism and a method for addiction recovery.

Morgan Newhouse