Jesse Cornplanter or Hayonhwonhish, Tonawanda Seneca faithkeeper, making a ceremonial mask

Faithkeeper or Faith Keeper[a] is an office in the traditional government of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Each Clan Mother has two Faith Keepers, one male relative and one female relative, acting under them as spiritual advisors and as repositories of traditional knowledge and language.[1]

Role

Faithkeepers are bridges between traditional Indigenous knowledge and the modern world.[6] Faithkeepers promote traditional Haudenosaunee ways and uphold Haudenosaunee culture and languages. They support the spirituality of their Clan and serve as spiritual advisors to the Rotiyanehson and Clan Mothers.[1] Faithkeepers are also in charge of the Four Sacred Rituals offering thanks to the Creator.[1]

Notable Haudenosaunee Faithkeepers

Notes

  1. ^ * Mohawk: Kaié:ri niioríwake Iakoteríhonton (female), Kaié:ri niioríwake Roterihonton (male)[1]
    • pl. Oneida: lonatlihu·tú[2]
    • Onondaga: godi·hų́·daʼ (female), hodi·hų́·daʼ (male)}[3]
    • Cayuga: godríhǫ:t (female), hodríhǫ:t (male)[4]
    • Seneca: Godí:ön (female), Hodí:ön (male) [5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Haudenosaunee Confederacy. "Government".
  2. ^ "lonatlihu·tú". Oneida Language Dictionary. University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  3. ^ Woodbury, Hanni (2003). Onondaga-English/English-Onondaga dictionary. Toronto ; Buffalo : University of Toronto Press. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  4. ^ Dyck, Carrie, Froman, Frances, Keye, Alfred & Keye, Lottie. 2024. A grammar and dictionary of Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ (Cayuga). (Studies of Amerindian Linguistics). Berlin: Language Science Press. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10473483. [1]
  5. ^ Chafe, Wallace. "English-Seneca Dictionary" (PDF). Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  6. ^ "Joagquisho Oren Lyons". Guaní Press. Guaní Press. Retrieved 3 October 2026.