Handsome Lake

Handsome Lake,1735?–1815, Seneca religious prophet; half-brother ofCornplanter. After a long illness he had a vision (c.1800) and began to preach new religious beliefs. His moral teachings showed a similarity to Christian ethics and had a profound effect among the Iroquois. He advocated giving up the nomadic Native American life in favor of agriculture, much to the disgust ofRed Jacket. Though Christian missionaries opposed Handsome Lake's religion, it nevertheless persisted alongside Christianity.

SeeThe Code of Handsome Lake(tr. by A. C. Parker, 1913, repr. 1968); A. Wallace,The Death and Rebirth of the Seneca(1969, repr. 1972).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia,6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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