Jesse Cornplanter
Jesse Cornplanter | |
|---|---|
Jesse Cornplanter making a ceremonial mask, Tonawanda Community House, Tonawanda, New York. Photographed in 1940. | |
| Born | Hayonhwonhish September 16, 1889 Cattaraugus Reservation, NY |
| Died | March 18, 1957 (aged 67) Genesee, NY |
| Occupation | Actor, Author, Artist, Craftsman, Keeper of Seneca Culture |
| Citizenship | American |
| Subject | Seneca life, culture, and religion |
| Literary movement | Iroquois Realism |
| Notable works | Legends of the Longhouse, Iroquois Indian Games and Dances, collection SC12845 at the New York State Library, illustrated The Code of Handsome Lake |
| Relatives | Father Edward Cornplanter (Seneca name Sosondowah) Mother Nancy Jack |
Jesse J. Cornplanter (September 16, 1889 – March 18, 1957) was an actor, artist, author, craftsman, Seneca Faithkeeper and decorated veteran of World War I. The last male descendant of Cornplanter, an important 18th-century Haudenosaunee leader and war chief, his Seneca name was Hayonhwonhish (He Strokes the Rushes). He illustrated several books about Seneca and Iroquois life. Jesse Cornplanter wrote and illustrated Legends of the Longhouse (1938), which records many Iroquois traditional stories. Cornplanter was also the first Native American to play a lead in a feature film titled Hiawatha, which was released in 1913 and a year before the notable Western The Squaw Man.