A unique collection of native wisdom, including the eighteenth-century religious teachings, "The Code of Handsome Lake", and an exclusive interview with one of North America's leading native traditionalists, Chief Jacob Thomas.

Jacob Thomas is a Cayuga chief, craftsman, and historian. He lives in Wilsonville, Ontario, and is the keeper of the Wampum Belt for the Six Nations.

Handsome Lake was born in the Seneca village of Ganawagas on the Genesee River in 1735. Recovering from alcohol-induced illness, he created a code to strengthen his people against the effects of white society. The code helped unify the Iroquoian community during the American War of Independence. Now, two ceenturies later, the issues of native self-government and a renewed pride in native traditions are creating new interest in the code, available in English only in this edition.