Is there a connection between AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and Handsome Lake, the famous spiritual leader of the Seneca tribe? The answer is: quite possibly. The Handsome Lake Code tells the story of how Handsome Lake, a religious leader and prophet, was an alcoholic. In fact, he was on the brink of death from health problems associated with alcoholism. It was then that he had a vision, three visions to be precise. He also said that he had been visited by the spirits of John the Baptist, as well as several of Jesus’ disciples.
These visions in 1799 led Handsome Lake to realize what was happening to him and his people. Visions saved Handsome Lake’s life. The white man’s “water of fire” had taken over the Seneca and Iroquois tribes. It wasn’t just those two tribes; Firewater reached all the Native American tribes with its influence.
Since the days when European settlers first arrived, Native American tribesmen essentially had to find a way to coexist with foreigners who came and stayed. They traded in furs and jewelry, among other items. They traded their land for things that the “white man” could offer, such as weapons (which made it easy to hunt but also kill), cloth, different types of food, and alcohol, just to name a few. They sold part of their land to settlers; part of their land the colonists took.
It was hard for the Native Americans when they began to lose their land. . . and his culture. The alcohol they consumed was poison to them as they gradually sank into despair and hopelessness over their situation. The visions of Handsome Lake taught them to return to their traditional beliefs, which for a while seemed lost, while incorporating the good of the Christian beliefs that the colonists also brought with them. With Handsome Lake’s guidance and teachings, the Iroquois and other Native American tribes began to recover from their losses. The Handsome Lake initiative taught a lesson in learning to live with the realities, to the best of your ability, of your situation.
The connection between AA and Handsome Lake is spiritual. AA began, in its early stages, with an assembly of people entitled The Oxford Group. It was a Christian affiliated association headed by a Christian missionary, Dr. Frank Buchman. Some of the principles advocated were: 1) the need to share your “sin” or problem with a fellow citizen who had experienced the same problem; that sharing would be helpful; 2) accept your sin and make restitution for any wrongdoing; 3) have quiet time to listen to God’s guidance; and 4) surrender your past life to God’s will.
However, after a while, The Oxford Group began to move in a different direction, a political direction, even embracing Adolph Hitler.
In 1935, two men, Mr. William (Bill) Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith co-founded today’s AA because they found the answers and help they needed when seeking spiritual guidance. A friend of Bill Wilson’s, Mr Ebby Thacher, Bill’s former drinking partner, became a member of The Oxford Group. When the group began to stray from their original mission, Bill and Bob started their own program to help other alcoholics recover from the debilitating effects of the disease. The program gradually spread by word of mouth, and by 2001 it had over two million members.
Both Handsome Lake and AA taught principles based on spirituality and religion. Look at God; look for a “higher” divine source as the foundation on which to build to extract yourself from the evils of alcoholism.