Copyright © 2000 by David G. Swatzler
Prologue -- Strawberry Time on the Upper Allegheny, 1799: Introduces Handsome Lake; recounts his first religious vision and the events surrounding it. Also introduces Cornplanter, chief headman of the Allegany Senecas, and Henry Simmons, Quaker missionary and culture broker.
Chapter 1 -- Friends Come to the Upper Allegheny: Examines the origins of the Quaker mission to the Allegany Senecas with emphasis on Cornplanter's motives for soliciting assistance. Recounts the inception of the Quaker mission and the establishment of the model or demonstration farm at Genesinguhta.
Chapter 2 -- Henry Simmons among the Senecas: Examines the personal interaction between Simmons and the Allegany Senecas after the 30-year old missionary took up residence within Cornplanter's village to teach school. Presented as a series of vignettes based on Simmons's journal entries.
Chapter 3 -- The Children of Onas: Examines the sectarian milieu that shaped Simmons and the other Quaker missionaries.
Chapter 4 -- Iroquois Games: Explores the ways in which the Iroquois played games for religious reasons.
Chapter 5 -- Great Eaters with Big Bellies: Examines national and private incomes of the Allegany Senecas, how they were obtained during treaty negotiations, and what they cost in tribal lands lost.
Chapter 6 -- The Seasonal Round: Examines the seasonal round of subsistence activities and related religious celebrations that prevailed among the Allegany Senecas at the close of the 18th century.
Chapter 7 -- A Victory in the Struggle for Sobriety: The Allegany Senecas adopt temperance as a community standard and enforce prohibition.
Chapter 8 -- Dances and a Dead Feast: Describes the sacred feather and thanksgiving dances and the feast for the dead. Explains their religious significance. Examines the war or brag dance.
Chapter 9 -- Witches and Wives: Examines the complex of beliefs and rituals related to the fear of witchcraft. Reviews the materia medica of the Allegany Senecas. Looks at some of Handsome Lake's witch hunts and at Cornplanter's role in ending them.
Critiques the notion of Iroquois matriarchy and some of the theories that have been advanced to support it. Analyzes the power and influence of Iroquois women in terms of their role in the political structures and processes of their villages and clans.
Chapter 10 -- Visions, White Dogs, and Green Corn: Simmons describes Handsome Lake's first religious vision and the circumstances surrounding it.
Chapter 11 -- Motives and Agendas: The information presented thus far in the book, supplemented as necessary from other sources, is used to analyze the motives and agendas of both the Quakers and the Indians in regard to the Allegany mission. Examines specific ways in which conflicting cultural values produced tensions between the Friends and the Senecas.
Epilogue: Presents brief accounts of the lives of Simmons, Cornplanter, and Handsome Lake after the autumn of 1799.
Appendix: The Simmons 1799 Journal—unedited and edited versions in two-column format.
Specifications: 319 pages, 6 x 9 inches, hard cover with dust jacket, 28 black-and-white illustrations, 5 maps, reference notes, bibliography, and index.
Copyright © 2000 by David G. Swatzler
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