Final answer:
The Iroquois leader Handsome Lake led a religious revival around 1800 in response to the American colonial occupation, aiming to restore traditional Iroquois beliefs and practices while adapting to societal changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Around 1800, an Iroquois named Handsome Lake led a significant religious revival movement, often referred to as the Handsome Lake Religion or the Gaiwiio, which can be seen as a kind of religion-related social action. This movement emerged in response to the American colonial occupation and the societal disruptions and dislocations suffered by the Iroquois peoples following the American Revolution and continued European settlement of their homeland.
The Handsome Lake Religion combined elements of traditional Iroquois religious beliefs with certain Christian elements and focused on moral reform, including calls to abstain from alcohol, to return to traditional Iroquois farming practices, and to restore the matrilineal family structure. Handsome Lake's teachings also addressed the many changes caused by the colonial occupation, aiming to help the Iroquois adapt while retaining core aspects of their traditional culture.
Handsome Lake's call for revitalization was akin to earlier messages by prophets like Neolin, whose teachings had influenced Pontiac's War (1763-64), where Native American tribes united to resist European influence and encroachment on their lands. Both movements sought to restore indigenous autonomy and ways of life at a time of immense external pressure and change. These religious movements reflected indigenous resistance to colonization and efforts to spiritually and culturally revitalize Native American communities under the strain of colonialism.