An Onondaga tribal chief Daniel Garacontie (Sagochiendagehte in the Iroquois language) was converted to Catholicism by Jesuit priests in the 17th century. Around the year 1600, five tribes came together to form the Five Nations of the Iroquois League (or Iroquois Confederacy). The five tribes included the Onondaga, Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida, and Cayuga. In 1722, a sixth tribe allied itself with the Five Nations, soon to become the Six Nations, of the Iroquois Confederacy. Garacontie was given credit for having numerous French prisoners released by several different Iroquois nation tribes.
How? The Seneca were influenced most effectively by the early French explorers who brought many things with them to the new land, including their beliefs in religion. French explorers settled in parts of Canada where the Iroquois were living. The French persuaded the Iroquois that Catholicism would save them. It was a kind of natural progression to incorporate and supplement the symbolism of their Native American culture with that of what the French explorers were teaching.
Not all the Seneca nation tribes came under Catholic influence in the early years. Many did not think Catholicism melded closely enough to their own beliefs. There was diversity and disagreement between the tribes. Later in the 1800s and early 1900s, Catholicism became more widely accepted.
Why? The Seneca wanted to ally themselves with the French for strength and position and to trade food, furs, and other items. The Native Americans wanted to be considered equal in class or stature with the French. One of the most important reasons to accept Catholicism into the tribes was for the bond it created between the Native Americans and the French. Canadian Iroquois, especially, desired the symbolism of Catholicism to define their relationship with the French.
Many Canadian Iroquois took part in the Seven Years' War as independent allies to the French. During this war, the Six Nations of the Iroquois allied with the British for the most part and from time to time, they tried to change the minds and attitudes of the Canadian Iroquois. Typically, the majority of the Iroquois was seen as anti-French in the beginning and would ally with the English. Only a small group of Onondagas and Mohawks were convinced in the beliefs of Catholicism. Most Iroquois fought with the British and against the Americans in the American Revolutionary War. They then determined it would be in the best interests of everyone to try and find a peaceful solution to co-existence.
Handsome Lake was a religious leader and Seneca prophet. Visions came to him that some saw as supernatural, and they clearly told to him the tale of how the Seneca people were to succeed. Handsome Lake instructed the Native American people to keep their traditional beliefs while adapting to the culture that was taking hold in the United States. His prophecies encouraged the Seneca to take the good from both religions and incorporate the best of both worlds to find a way to endure and prosper in the changing atmosphere of the country.
The Code of Handsome Lake is still a part of the Iroquois People of the Longhouse religion today. Learn more about Handsome Lake and take a peek into his visions and prophecies for the Seneca people at http://www.ad-hoc-productions.com/index.
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