THE CODE OF HANDSOME LAKE 27 



THE GREAT MESSAGE 



SECTION I 



" Now the beings spoke saying, ' We must now relate our 

 message. We will uncover the evil upon the earth and show how 

 men spoil the laws the Great Ruler has made and thereby made 

 him angry.' 



" ' The Creator made man a living creature.' 



" ' Four words tell a great story of wrong and the Creator is 

 sad because of the trouble they bring, so go and tell your people.' 



" " The first word is One'ga'. 1 It seems that you never have 

 known that this word stands for a great and monstrous evil and 

 has reared a high mound of bones. Ga''nigoentdo n 'tha, you lose 

 your minds and one'ga' causes it all. Alas, many are fond of it and 

 are too fond of if. So now all must now say, " I will use it never- 

 more. As long as I live, as long as the number of my days is I will 

 never use it again. I now stop." So must all say when they hear 

 this message.' Now the beings, the servants of the Great Ruler, 

 the messengers of him who created us, said this. Furthermore 

 they said that the Creator made one'ga' and gave it to our younger 

 brethren, the white man, as a medicine but they use it for evil for 

 they drink it for other purposes than medicine and drink instead 

 of work and idlers drink one'ga'. No, the Creator did not make 

 it for you." 



So they said and he said. Enia'iehuk! 2 



SECTION 2 



" Now spoke the beings and said, ' We now speak of the second 

 word. This makes the Creator angry. The word is Got'go"'. 3 



1 Whiskey or Rum. 



2 Enia'iehuk meaning, It was that way. 



3 A certain number of the Seneca Iroquois still cling to the belief in 

 witchcraft although they are loath to admit it to any one in whom they have 

 not implicit confidence. While they assert that witchcraft was introduced 

 among them by some Algonquin tribe which they had adopted, their early 

 legends and traditions contain many allusions to witches and witchcraft. 

 There are at least two distinct methods employed by witches to accomplish 

 their ends. The first, it is claimed, i§ the older way and is, the employment 



