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August 10
Handsome Lake, Dr. Ruth Pfau, and the Pueblo Revolt of 1680
David Barnhart
August 10, 2025
A “Walking Palm Tree” in Bolivia, 2009. It moves to a better location over time by growing new supporting root systems.
Today marks the beginning of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, in which the Pueblo of New Mexico forced out Spanish invaders and settlers in a massive uprising. This was a response to colonial and religious violence against the Pueblo people.
Today marks the death, in 1815, of Handsome Lake, or Ganiodaiio in the Haudnosonee language. He was a prophet in the Iroquois nation who sparked a religious revival among his people and called them to reject the vices of the American settlers. His religious vision was a mix of Quaker Christianity and traditional indigenous spirituality.
Today also marks the death, in 2017, of Dr. Ruth Pfau, a German religious sister and physician who emigrated to Pakistan and was largely responsible for making it the first place in Asia to control leprosy. She worked at this ministry for over five decades, and won the respect of Muslims and Christian alike. She has been called “The Mother Theresa of Pakistan.”
Reflection:
Dr. Ruth Pfau said:
“We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.”
In We Survived the Apocalypse, Steven Charleston writes of Ganiodaiio:
…Ganiodaiio was not just a champion of the old tradition but a reformer—an agent of change. As the Buddha believed he was bringing a message of reform to Hinduism and Jesus was a reformer of Judaism, so Ganiodaiio proclaimed a reform of Haudenosaunee religion.
…The apocalyptic revelation that Ganiodaiio offers to us today is contained in that simple phrase: “an adjustment of the culture.” The prophet adjusted Haudenosaunee culture by turning its cultural vision upside down. He balanced the communal with the individual, and by so doing, released a healing power among his people.
Prayer: God of all peoples, rebalance our individualistic culture with a vision of our interdependence, to understand in the core of our being that our future depends on helping others build their future. Amen.