Handsome Lake

Handsome Lake (Cayuga language: Sganyadái:yo, Seneca language: Sganyodaiyo) (Θkanyatararí•yau)^[1] (1735 – 10 August 1815) was a Seneca religious leader.^[2] He was an important religious leader of the Iroquois Confederacy. Handsome Lake was born in Canawaugus. His half-brother was Cornplanter. He signed the Treaty of Canandaigua (1794). He started the religious movement Gai’wiio (“Good Message”). He had been very ill and then recovered. He stopped drinking alcohol. Handsome Lake claimed that he got a revelation from spirits. The religious movement combines Iroquois and Christian elements. Handsome Lake said Natives should avoid adultery, drunkenness, laziness, and witchcraft. European colonies and disease had caused Natives to have social unrest and division. Natives welcomed this new religious movement. The Code of Handsome Lake was published in 1850.^[3][4][5]

Handsome Lake
Drawing by Jesse Cornplanter
Born	Hadawa'ko 1735 Canawaugus
Died	August 10, 1815
Nationality	Seneca
Other names	Sganyadái:yo; Sganyodaiyo; Θkanyatararí•yau•
Occupation	Prophet
Known for	The Code of Handsome Lake

Related pages

• Seneca (tribe)
• Cornplanter
• Red Jacket
• Iroquois Confederacy
• Northeastern Woodlands

References

1. Rudes, B. Tuscarora English Dictionary Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999
2. Wallace, Paul A. W.; Hunter, William A. (1999). Indians in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg, Pa: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. p. 176. ISBN 0-89271-017-9. 'A Seneca chief of the Turtle Clan, half brother of Cornplanter.'
3. "Ganioda'yo | Seneca chief | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
4. Wallace, Anthony F. C., 1923- (1972). The death and rebirth of the Seneca. Steen, Sheila C. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 9780307760562. OCLC 795249676.
5. Parker, Arthur C. (Nov 1, 1912). "The Code of Handsome Lake, the Seneca Prophet". [NYS] Education Department Bulletin (163). Retrieved June 2, 2015.