The Legend of Lake Sacandaga (version 1) Haudenosaunee story of the Kanontsistóntie (Flying Head)

Song: The Legend of Lake Sacandaga (version 1)
Lyrics and Music: AI
Background: In the Town of Lake Pleasant is a lake called Sacandaga (NOT the Great Lake Sacandaga Reservoir!!) Once there was a Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) named Capt. Gill, who told a story of a Flying Head that came out of the water to avenge a tragic murder.

[Verse1]
A forgotten tribe, on a hill they once dwelled,
Where council fires burned, and their stories were spelled.
A winter so harsh, no food could be found,
Famine's cruel grip, on their ancient ground.
Young warriors arose, with anger ablaze,
Defying the elders, through desperate days.
They spoke of abandoning their sacred abode,
Seeking sustenance, on a distant road.
[Chorus]
In the Adirondacks, where mountains rise high,
A legend of Sacandaga, beneath a vast sky.
[Verse2]
But the elders resisted, their wisdom proclaimed,
This suffering was penance, by the Master of Life named.
To flee from their punishment, a greater despair,
Would forever follow, their path everywhere.
Rage consumed the young, a dark deed was done,
Tomahawks fell, beneath the rising sun.
Seven elders perished, their lives cast away,
To satiate hunger, and prolong their day.
[Chorus]
In the Adirondacks, where mountains rise high,
A legend of Sacandaga, beneath a vast sky.
[Verse3]
A horrific silence, then horror's cold sting,
They sought to purify, this terrible thing.
The bodies were burned, the heads were removed,
A chain of hair tied, a gruesome truth proved.
To Sacandaga's depths, the heads were then cast,
But the Master of Life, was not appeased at last.
The young leader's canoe, it started to sink,
Entangled in hair, he screamed on the brink.
[Chorus]
In the Adirondacks, where mountains rise high,
A legend of Sacandaga, beneath a vast sky.
[Verse4]
Bubbles arose, a blot on the lake,
A monstrous form grew, for vengeance's sake.
A Flying Head emerged, with eyes gleaming bright,
Chasing the culprits, through day and through night.
Some say to stone, the young men were turned,
A warning in silence, forever discerned.
Others claim forever young, they were doomed to roam,
Haunted by the Flying Head, far from their home.
[Chorus]
In the Adirondacks, where mountains rise high,
A legend of Sacandaga, beneath a vast sky.
[Verse5]
Another Iroquois tale, a different scene,
Of Kanontsistontie, a creature unseen.
A giant Flying Head, with dark, thick hair,
Living in caves, shunning the sun's glare.
Bat-like wings sprouted, from cheeks with fangs,
It hunted at night, through mountains and vales.
A mother's brave cunning, to stop the dark plight,
She fed it hot stones, in the longhouse's light.
[Chorus]
In the Adirondacks, where mountains rise high,
A legend of Sacandaga, beneath a vast sky.
[Bridge]
With a scream that shook mountains, the creature fled fast,
Vanished forever, the legend to last.
So the tale of Sacandaga, whispers still,
A reminder of justice, on that sacred hill.
[Chorus]
In the Adirondacks, where mountains rise high,
A legend of Sacandaga, beneath a vast sky.