THE CODE OF HANDSOME LAKE 1 3 



was unable to address the people because of his distress, so that it 

 was said, " Our meeting is only a gathering about the fireplace." 

 A game of lacrosse was played to cheer him but he could only re- 

 spond to the honor by saying : " I will soon go to my new home. 

 Soon will I step into the new world for there is a plain pathway 

 before me leading there. " He repaired to his cabin at the foot of 

 the hill, in sight of the council house and there after a most dis- 

 tressing illness " commenced his walk " over the path that had 

 appeared before him. He was buried under the council house with 

 impressive ceremonies and his tomb may still be seen though the 

 house has been removed. A granite monument, erected by the Six 

 Nations, marks his resting place. 



Handsome Lake lived to see his people divided into two factions, 

 one that clung to the old order and one that followed him. After 

 his death the older order gradually faded out of existence, either 

 coming over to the New Religion or embracing Christianity. Thus 

 by the time of the Civil War in 1861 there were only the two ele- 

 ments, the Christians and the followers of Handsome Lake. They 

 stand so arrayed today but with the " new religionists " gradually 

 diminishing in number. The force of Handsome Lake's teaching, 

 however, is still felt and affects in some way all the New York 

 reservations, except perhaps St Regis. 



Handsome Lake as the founder of a religious system occupied 

 such a position that his followers place implicit confidence in that 

 system whatever his personal weaknesses and failures may have 

 been. 



" He made mistakes," said Chief Cornplanter, " many mistakes, 

 so it is reported, but he was only a man and men are liable to com- 

 mit errors. Whatever he did and said of himself is of no conse- 

 quence. What he did and said by the direction of the four 

 messengers is everything — it is our religion. Ganiodaiio was weak 

 in many points and sometimes afraid to do as the messengers told 

 him. He was almost an unwilling servant. He made no divine 

 claims, he did not pose as infallible nor even truly virtuous. He 

 merely proclaimed the Gai'wiio' and that is what we follow, not 

 him. We do not worship him, we worship one great Creator. We 

 honor and revere our prophet and leader, we revere the four 

 messengers who watch over us — but the Creator alone do we 

 worship." Such is the argument of his followers. 



