366 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 191 



dream of the Hodo'vn indicated eligibility to be cured by the society. 

 This constituted initiation, and membership ceased only when one 

 dreamed of release. 



The rise of Handsome Lake,^ a preacher and prophet of the early 

 1800's, brought about a period of suppression and persecution for all 

 the medicine societies. Claiming that they were working great harm 

 to men and animals, the prophet demanded that tobacco be thrown 

 into the fire and the companies disbanded. The chiefs met in council 

 and complied with his order, but because the tobacco ceremony was 

 omitted, many members of the societies declared the action of the 

 council illegal. Branded as witches, they continued to hold their 

 meetings in secret, and their very existence was concealed, both from 

 White investigators and the Indian converts to the new faith. How- 

 ever, as the religion of Handsome Lake spread and was accepted by 

 an increasing number of the Iroquois, it became more conservative. 

 Gradually the new beliefs blended with the old and the tabooed 

 societies were able to come out from underground. They began to 

 hold their rituals openly again and to enter into public ceremonies, 

 until eventually even the adherents of Handsome Lake joined without 

 qualms. It was about this time that the policy of the False Faces 

 toward membership underwent a change. Secrecy in regard to the 

 identity of members was no longer considered so essential and the 

 emphasis on dreams as a prerequisite for initiation became less pro- 

 nounced. By 1900 on Onondaga, it was enough to show some symp- 

 toms of False Face sickness and make a feast (Smith, 1889, p. 279). 

 Typical symptoms included ailments of the shoulders, joints, and head, 

 especially toothaches, earaches, nosebleeds, and inflammation of the 

 eyes. 



Although there are local variations in False Face rituals, the essen- 

 tial elements are common to all the Iroquois and have changed little 

 over the course of the years. They are best preserved among the 

 Seneca, to whom the other tribes tend to look for the correct forms. 

 In addition to holding private curing ceremonies, the False Faces 

 appear publicly three times during the year. In the spring and fall 

 they exorcise disease from the reservations, visiting the homes of all 

 believers, where they stir the fire, sprinkle or blow ashes on the inmates, 

 and dance. In return, they are given tobacco and corn mush which 

 they carry away with them in kettles. A good deal of levity may enter 

 into these proceedings as some of the band indulge in antics, rush 

 about the house, try to upset the stove, and in general cause havoc. 



« Handsome Lake was a Seneca who had come under the influence of Quaker missionaries and experienced 

 a series of revelations in which God instructed him to lead the Iroquois out of the degenerate condition into 

 which they had fallen. He preached against witchcraft, whiskey, and the wholesale acceptance of White 

 customs. His teachings are embodied in over a hundred moral injunctions, known as the Code of Hand- 

 some Lake, which are memorized and recited by religious leaders. 



