Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-06-15

WRITTEN ron THE rosr-rvrE1r.oxxcyn

puS7o Va hrtlRtOn mas sprung
up within year and a half among some
OF the Indians OF the upper Sound. II
has been called by its opponents the
Shakes and has prevailed mainly
among the squsxon, NisquaIly, skoko-
mish and Chehslis Indians. II evidently
10 based On about the same principles OF
the mind as the jerks and shouting at
camp meetings among the whites Of the
Southern and Western States, from 40
t. 80 wears ago. when they were more
uneducated ard less acquainted With
real religion than they are now. when
superstition. igporance, imagination.
dreams and religion are all mingled TO-
gether, they produce a strange compound
either among whites, Indians. or people
OF any other race. II has proved so in
this Gaze.
In the fall OF 1882 an Indian named
John Siocum, who was living On Shook.
Urn Bay, in Mason county, apparently
died. Some years previous he had lived
on the Skokomish Reservation, where
he had been to Protestant church and
had learned something OF the white
mans religion. God, Jesus Christ, and
tie morals inculcated. But he left the
reservation about six or seven years ago.
de had also learned something Of the
Catholic religion in his early life, and of
tta faFsnl and l.
diaus were present when be was believed
to be dead. They said that his neck
was broken, and that he so remained
for about SIX hours, when he returned
TO life, ran of Immediately a short dis
tance, and soon began To converse with
the people. Whether or not ii Was
case of suspended animation 10 q1es-
tion. A white mas, a near neighkor Of
his, anc who saw him before his appa-
rent death, while he thus lay and after
his resuscitation, has said that he be-
iieved the Indian was playing pos
sum-"
The Indian stated that he died and
attempted to go to Heaven, but could
not enter il because he was SO wicked.
de was there told the way of life, and
that he must return to the earth aud
teach his people the way and induce
them to become Christians. He gained
4 small band of followers. a church was
built for him, and he steadily preached
TO the people. Affairs went on some
what in this way until the next August.
Then, after consultation with other In
dians, especially one on the Skekomish
r. ssrvation, who favored him, It was de-
cided to hold big meeting. The In
dians of the surrounding region were
urged to go. They were told that they
would be lost If they did not; that four
women would be turned ints angels and
fly around, and other wonderful things
occur. Quite n number went; nearly
half Of those on the Skoks mish reser-
vatlon being among the number-and
they did hold big meeting. Women
did go around trying to fly like angels.
There we're those who pretended TO
have visions from heaven; four persons
were said to have died, aud, with the
power which WAS given them from
above, others raised these dead to life
again, which in reality was much like
some of the ceremonies of their old
black tamahnous, secret society in
troduced from more northern Indians,
whose ceremonies were the most saw
age of any which they practised. They
dreamed dreams, they went through
some disgusting cere nonles. and they
we're taken with kind of shaking.
With their arms at full length, their
hands and fingers would shake 30 fast
that u common person not under the
excitement could hardly make his fin
gers shake half as fast; gazing into the
heavens, their heads would also shake
very fast, sometimes for few minutes
and sometimes for hours. or half the
night; and they would brush each other
with their hands, as they said, to brush
off the sins, for they said they were
much worse than white people. The
latter were only bad in their hearts, but
the Indians were 80 bad that the bad
ness came to the surface of their bodies
and the ends OF their finger nails. 50
that IL could be picked of and brushed
off. While thus brushing each other,
sometimes it was done lightly and some
times 80 roughly that the person was
made black for a week, aud sometimes
even sick.
After having kept mp this affair for
nearly week, they disbanded. The
Indians returned TO their
bat did not stop their shak-
lag. They sometimes held meetings
from six o'clock in the evening until
about midnight, and lit candles and
placed them on their heads, where they
kept them for long time. They be-
came very particular about making the
sign of the cross upon the hemselves many
times day, when they began to eat, as
they asked n blessing, aud when they
finished and returned thanks after n
meal; when they shook hands with any
one, and thew shook hands very often;
when teey went 90 their church on the
and to their prnyer-neettn2 on
Thursday evening, aud at many other
tunes. The good thing that has thus
far resulted from il has been that they
have given up gambling, betting, horse
racing, using tobacco. drinking whisky.
all kinds of samahEous or incnntations
even over the sick, and they will have
nothing to do with the Indian doctors.
They do, however, pray over the sick,
shake over them, and act In some ways
almost quite as foolish as the Indian
doctors. and make one think that they
srs making a new style of doctors. How
long these good fruits will last remains
vet TO he seen. They are also particular
I'd employ tlE NErttcS 1Vstts -.
On ,he Skokomish reservation their
caused the death OF one
mother and her child. ard an addifiond
loss of time and property TO the amount
Of six OF eight hundred dollars. IL be-
came serions question II the constant
shaking Of their heads would not MAKE
some of them crazy, and it was the
opinion OF the government physician
that il would do 30. Accordingly an
shortly was brought to bear and sue
shaking was stopped. though they were
to keep in practise the good
habits uhich th. Y had begun, OF leaving
OF gambling aud the like. Some NJ
first said they could not stop shaking,
but that az their prayer-mestin2s and
on the Sabbath their hands and beads
would continue TO shake. at least httie'
I,ut after a short time, when the excite
m.ns died away, they found that they
couid stop.
Eut about Skooknm Bay. Mud Bay
and Souaxon the shaking has continued,
and il has spread 90 the Nisqually and
{ hehalis Indians. 10 seems 10 be a.
catching, to use the expression OF other
indians. az the gneasles. Those who
r,dicaIsa is al first, and fought against
Il. and invoked the aid of the agent 90
stou ID, were drawn into it almost as
soou As they went near 1t. and then De-
came sts strong upholdsrs- One indlan