The Decimation and Rebirth of the Seneca Indian Tribe

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The Decimation and Rebirth of the Seneca Indian Tribe

The discovery of America by Columbus, in 1492, has long been heralded as a major turning point in world history. It is not only a turning point for European world history, but also a turning point for the history of peoples indigenous to North America. The native populations in North America held equal claims to their lands and the way in which they lived. With an influx of Europeans into the new world it was inevitable that a clash of culture between them would surface. Among the native populations to have contact with the Europeans was the Seneca.

This clash of cultures left the people of the Seneca demoralized, defeated, and on the brink of extinction. After large contact with whites many natives were torn between two cultures, their own ancient religious traditions and the Christian ways of the white man. Religious innovation by the Seneca profit, Handsome Lake, would lead the people out of destruction and into the rebirth of the Seneca community.

The Seneca are a native American indian group that once flourished in the NorthEastern United States. They were among other native populations in the same area. The northern spread of corn, beans, and squash led to an increase in prosperity among all the tribes of this area. The prosperity brought with it population growth, which in turn caused political friction between tribes. To resolve these frictions five related peoples formed a remarkable union known as the Iroquois Confederacy or League. The five tribes of the league are the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and the Seneca, living in that order across New York and Pennsylvania. The Seneca, or Green Hill people, were known as the keepers of the Wester...

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...gious practices. The Handsome Lake religion still thrives in the United States on Iroquoian reservations.

The discovery of the new world by Columbus, had negative repercussions on the natives indigenous to North America. A clash of cultures would soon emerge between whites and the indians and, the destruction of native tribes ensued. The Seneca were among the tribes to be decimated by the new American government, after the Revolutionary war. An influx of Christian white influence among the Iroquois split the League. Demoralized and depressed over loss of land and spiritual confusion, the Seneca faced increased social problems and the possibility of extinction. The revitalization of religion, through Handsome Lake's visions, helped to revive the Seneca people, by out-lawing alcohol and abortion. It also provided a spiritual outlet for the people to plug into.

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