The Death and Rebirth of the Seneca

by Anthony F.C. Wallace

"From the Back Cover
"Until this volume, there has been no single book written that relates the history and life style of one of the Iroquois peoples with the encompassing depth and breadth of knowledge, clarity, and interest that the subject deserves. Finally, this book does it for the Seneca. It is enthralling history, told in a knowledgeable, highly readable way."
-- Alvin M. Joseph, Jr., author of The Indian Heritage of America

"This book is at once troubling and richly textured; for it draws skillfully and impartially on the resources of history, ethnology and psychology to chronicle the agony and decline of one of the proudest of American Indian peoples."

-- Morris Opler Book World

"Here is a carefully crafted masterpiece of anthropological and historical investigation. It is about both the specific renaissance of the Seneca and the possible renaissance of any people. On its specific subject matter, it will probably remain the definitive study for a long time."

-- Christian Science Monitor"

Genres: History, Native American, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Native Americans, Indigenous, Native American History

417 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Hannah Grace]

Originally published in 1969, this is really well written but really problematic history. Wallace's use of modern psychoanalytic discourse to deconstruct the myths and dreams of the Seneca is (I think) inappropriate and leads to some potentially deep misunderstandings of Seneca culture. Still, highly interesting read.

[John Wiswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Wallace takes readers along the entire story of the fall of the Seneca tribe in America, from pre-settler times and through the devastation, to recent attempts at cultural revival. He accentuates the story, trying very hard to capture temporal and cultural significance in people and events, trying to bring things more alive than typical history. Wallace succeeds admirably, making his history a very engaging read that infroms about a seriously damaged but beautiful culture, explaining tribal politics, spirituality, systems of command and ways of life, how they changed with European influence, and how they pulled together in the aftermath. His interest is investigation, and while some may accuse him of being overkind to the victims of European settlers, his prose is overwhelmingly well-read and objective, the strong depiction of the Seneca should do well to dismantle many readers' preconceptions of a stupid, war-like and primitive indigenous people.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a journal article about Native American studies which I read D and R was described as employing some psychological concepts in its discussion of the culture and history of the Seneca tribe. Given my career as a clinical psychologist this piqued my curiosity.

Although Wallace was an anthropologist by training, per Wikipedia he apparently worked as a researcher in a psychiatric hospital the first few years of his career. IMHO, he did a credible job in applying such ideas to this one particular member tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy.

Perhaps it was because the psychological understanding of grief was more limited in the 1960’s when his book was being written than it is nowadays that he did not write more about the dynamics of how the devastating losses the tribe experienced in the context of the Revolutionary War affected its evolution. This can also be said about the author’s treatment of alcohol abuse: while it was accurate it was also more limited than might be the case had D and R been written nowadays.

But in many other ways this was a solid piece of scholarship. For example, Wallace relied on a comprehensive review of dozens of primary and secondary sources. There were extensive footnotes, some of which were annotated. The bibliography was comprehensive and well organized.

His prose was direct and not overloaded with an excessive reliance on academic terminology. Chapters were subdivided into sections in which various topics were presented. The narrative provided a nuanced and textured description of tribal sociopolitical dynamics and interpersonal relations. The Seneca’s dealings with the the French and British in the early-mid 18th century and the Americans, including the Quakers, in the late 18th and early-mid 19th century were portrayed in depth. In fact, if anything there were times when its comprehensiveness meant that the pace of the book got a bit tedious.

Overall, though, this was an informative and interesting read. I will also try to read some of the author’s other books. One cannot recommend an author much more highly than that.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his book Anthony F.C. Wallace traces the foundations of The Old Way of Handsome Lake, an American Indian Religion. Wallace begins by describing Seneca culture and way of life during the 1700’s before the American Revolution, including societal structure (matriarchy), warfare and peace, and rituals and religion. The second part of the book is dedicated to the Iroquois participation in the American Revolution and the shift from neutrality to support of the British, the “doctrine of progress” implicit in the demands expressed by the American government after the Revolution, and the consequences of the role of a conquered society that the Iroquois assumed in the writing of treaties and the confinement of reservations. Wallace also states that because of the diplomacy and violence that ensued after the Revolution, the Seneca experienced great population loss, a loss in confidence in the survival of their people, and an increase in drunkenness. Wallace introduces the Quakers, a group who move onto the reservation to start a school, and ultimately are a source of spiritual questioning because of the conflicts the Iroquois had with white people.

[Dan Gorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fascinating work from 1970 mixes anthropology, archaeology, and history to explore the history of the Seneca Indians. Wallace argues that religion, specifically the "Old Way" preached by the prophet Handsome Lake circa 1800, was the key to the revival of Seneca culture on the reservations. While still a bit light on footnotes by contemporary standards for history, Wallace draws from field notes, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century ethnographies of Seneca culture, period diaries written by Quakers and other whites who encountered the Seneca, and general histories. The result is a fascinating and well written book that tells us an awful lot about Native American history, while also reminding readers that religion in America encompasses a lot more than just Christianity.

[Bob Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who are the Onondawaga?

The Seneca had no connection to any Roman orators! They were/are a people, the Onondawaga, who lived in the western part of New York state and some adjoining areas as part of the Haudenosaunee or as they are known in the English-speaking world, “the Iroquois” or “the Six Nations”. They were part of this very successful confederacy of Native Americans who dominated a much larger area and played a key role in American history up to the end of the 18th century when the white tide at last overwhelmed them with numbers and diseases.

The author writes of the history of the Iroquois, their original lifestyle, and their relations with the French, British, and then Americans. When the population of what is now New York state was minute, the Iroquois were major players who had to consulted, bargained with or placated at every step of the territorial and political process. The Iroquois (I am using this word rather than “Seneca” because they operated as part of the confederacy) cleverly divided their support among the white powers, trying to retain the possibility of independent action. During the American Revolution they cooperated with or attacked both sides at times. Then there were several small wars between the Iroquois and the Americans in the last part of the 18th century, usually never mentioned in patriotic history books. Perhaps it was because, for example, in 1789 the Secretary of War feared that if a war began with the Native American groups in the Midwest, the nascent USA might wind up losing the whole of what was called the Northwest Territories (Ohio, Indiana, Michigan etc.). And when the American army totaled under a thousand men, nearly 2/3rds were lost in a single defeat by the Iroquois on the Maumee River in Ohio.

Here you can read much more of the history of the struggle between the original inhabitants of that region and the invading settlers. The book provides an interesting mix of anthropology and history. The author writes of the customs of the Seneca, plus their rituals, myths and practices. He also ventures into psychology or the “mentality” of the people—a tangent that I don’t trust much, seeing that this is largely historical speculation and that individuals vary greatly in every culture.

But at last the Onondawaga (Seneca) were pushed onto small bits of territory despite treaties that were ignored by the white American settlers eager for land. It was the same disaster faced by most Native Americans over time. Their decline, loss of power, and loss of self-respect led to high levels of alcoholism and depopulation. White Americans deliberately tried to lower their self-confidence, treating them as a lower class doomed to disappear. One result was a great increase in the belief in witches and subsequent punishment of such individuals, the sign of cultural instability. The game that they had relied on became scarcer and men could no longer roam freely to hunt. Women had done the gardening while men hunted and made war. Now even occupations had to change. The death of the Seneca was almost complete.

“The reservation system theoretically established small asylums where Indians who had lost their hunting grounds could remain peacefully apart from the surrounding white communities until they became civilized. It actually resulted, however, in the creation of slums in the wilderness, where no traditional Indian could long survive and where only the least useful aspects of white culture could easily penetrate.” (p.184)

The Quakers appeared and tried to initiate more agriculture, built schools, brought new tools, and taught healthier ways to a population that was being forced by circumstance to abandon traditional ways. Perhaps due to their influence, but perhaps not, in 1799 an erstwhile leader began to have visions that condemned the sad conditions of his people. He began to preach reform, to tell the Onondawaga that they could rise from their misery by transforming themselves. This was Handsome Lake (Ganeodiyo) who died in 1815, but gave new life to his people, encouraging them to adopt many of the new ways. The second part of this book is devoted to his life and the process of change. At first they became farmers and tradesmen with a new religion that synthesized traditional and new thoughts and behaviors.

Today there are close to 10,000 members of the Seneca nation in New York and southern Ontario, they do run casinos, but you can find members in all kinds of modern occupations. I am not aware of any other book that describes their decline and rise so well.

[cleodweldt grundkeit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a study of the Seneca and the rebirth of their spiritual practice from the Allegheny mountains to Lake Superior and back. Forms of tribal organization including the League of the Iroquois or Haudenosaunee were described in some detail.

[Bec · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reads more like a survey of trees, or how many cars in rush hour, and not of a people. The who and where is detailed, the why less so and the experience seems to come from paperwork, not human beings. May be useful as a reference for events of history.

[Linda Stephens]

revitalization account

[Shaheer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two thirds of this, where Wallace describes early Seneca cultural practices and the collapse of the Iroquois Confederacy, are really good. Unfortunately it begins to lag once the focus shifts towards Handsome Lake in the final third. Still worth a read just because of how informative the first third is.

[Joseph Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written and detailed insight into the Senecas of the Iroquois: their relations with other Native American tribes, and their religious beliefs--before and after the American revolution. A must read for anyone researching these fascinating topics.