12 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



at Cornplanter's town and two years at Cold Spring. At the latter 

 place he made so many enemies that he resolved to leave with his 

 followers. This was in about 1812. With him went his chief fol- 

 lowers and his family, among them his grandson Sos'heowa who 

 later became his successor. 



Sos'heowa was born in 1774 in the old town of Ganowa'ges, the 

 home of both Cornplanter and Handsome Lake. Lewis H. Morgan, 

 who knew him well, describes him as " an eminently pure and 

 virtuous man . . . devoted ... to the duties of his office, 

 as the spiritual guide and teacher of the Iroquois." 

 . Morgan gives a full account of the recitation of Sosehawa at 

 the mourning council at Tonawanda in 1848 1 and credits the 

 translation to Sosehawa's grandson, Ely S. Parker (Ha-sa- 

 no-an-da) . 2 



During the prophet's four years' stay at Tonawanda he became 

 many times discouraged, " reluctant to tell," and though the people 

 gradually became more friendly, he seemed loath at times to pro- 

 claim his revelations. Some Christian Indians have explained this 

 as caused by an uneasy conscience that came with greater knowl- 

 edge of the white man's religion but there is no evidence of this. 

 During this stay he was invited to visit the Onondaga and this he 

 did, though according to his visions it necessitated the singing of 

 his " third song," which meant that he should die. In a vision 

 which he related he saw the four messengers who said " They have 

 stretched out their hands pleading for you to come and they are 

 your own people at Onondaga " (section 122). 



When the word was given, Handsome Lake with a few chosen 

 followers started to walk to Onondaga. His prediction of his own 

 death, however, caused many more to join the party when it became 

 definitely known he had started. The first camping spot mentioned 

 is at the old village, Gano n 'wa'ges. Here upon retiring he com- 

 manded the company to assemble " early in the morning." At the 

 morning gathering he announced a vision. It had been of a path- 

 way covered with grass. At the next camp, at Ganundasa'ga, his 

 vision was of a woman speaking. On the borders of Onondaga he 

 discovered that he had lost a favorite knife and went back to find 

 it. He was evidently much depressed and approached Onondaga 

 with a reluctance that almost betokened fear. Upon his arrival he 



1 Morgan, League, p. 233, Rochester, 1851. 



2 Later known as Dioni'hoga'we, Door Keeper, a sachem of the Seneca. 

 Parker was Morgan's collaborator in writing the League of the Iroquois. 



