Handsome lake biography books

Iroquois Seneca religious leader

Handsome Lake (Ganyodaiyo') (1735 – 10 August 1815) was a Seneca religious leader of the Iroquois people. He was a half-brother to Cornplanter (Gayentwahgeh), a Seneca war chief.^[1]

Handsome Lake, a leader and prophet, played a major role in reviving traditional religion among the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse), or Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy.

He preached a message that combined traditional Haudenosaunee religious beliefs with a revised code meant to revive traditional consciousness to the Haudenosaunee after a long period of cultural disintegration following colonization.

This message was eventually published as the "Code of Handsome Lake" and is still practiced today.

Name

Handsome Lake's name is transcribed differently in the languages of the Six Nations: Cayuga language: Sganyadái:yo; Oneida language: Skanatalihyo;^[2]Mohawk language: Skaniadario; Tuscarora language: Θkanyatar