Handsome Lake

Handsome Lake
An illustration of an indigenous American man with a feather in his hair
Born
Hadawa'ko

1735
DiedAugust 10, 1815 (aged 79–80)
NationalitySeneca
Other namesSganyadái:yo; Sganyodaiyo; Θkanyatararí•yau•; Skanatalihyo; Ganioda'yo; Ganiodaio; Conudiu; Conudia; Ga-Nyah-Di-Yoh; Kaniatario
OccupationProphet
Known forThe Code of Handsome Lake (Kaliwihyo/Gaihwi:io)
Handsome Lake Preaching at Tonawanda by Jesse Cornplanter

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.

  1. ^ 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.