St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-26
SOME WEIRD DREAMS.
Numerous interesting Stories
as Told by the Sci
entiStS.
Tale Of the Very Strange
Coming Of the Indian
Messiah.
1t Was Through a Vision
Seen by a Converted
Red Man.
His Ancestors Said to Have
Come to Him With q
Buffalo Head.

New 1ork Times.
A number of scientists gathered yes
terday in Hamilton hall. Columbia col
lege, to attend the second annual con-
yention of the American Folklore So
ciety.
AT the request of President Brinten,
Miss Alice e.. Fletcher, for many years
stationed at the Nez Perces Indian
agency, Idaho, and an eXper ton Indian
folklore, was invited to the platform
and gave an interesting and altogether
new account of the origin and history
of the Messiah craze among the In
dians.
This Messiah craze is an old story"
said Miss Fletcher, land has possessed
various Indian tribes for a humble of
years. Being vely much interested in
the outbreak, l took the trouble to
thoroughly investigate it's
History and Origin,
with the result of ascertaining that it
had its rise in the neighborhOod of the
Cheyenne river between six and seven
years ago.. The exact date | was unable
to learn, but the craze began with the
nominal conversion of an Indian to
Christianity. He became very enthusi-
astic, saw visions and recOunted them
to his comrades. who took on his enthu-
SiaSm and were also able to observe
strange sights. The vision seen by the
original convert was II representing
the good old times of Indian history.
ssThere was a large herd of buffaloes,
and the convert also saw his ancestors
come from the spirit land agitated by &
great awakening, and there seemed to
he a path opened from the Indian vii
lage to the luminous place. Along this
path
A Figure Advanced.
SIT was not that of an Indian, because
not so red as an Indian. and yet not a
paleface, because not as light as a
white man. The mysterious figure had
a robe thrown around it SO as to conceal
the form, and spoke to the Indians, call
ing them My Indian children Throw
ing aside its mantle, the figure pro-
claimed itself to be the Christian Savior,
and, barring its arms, exhibited the
marks made by the nails that were driv-
en- into the cross.
1.-THE figure entered into conversation
with the Indians and explained that it
had been rejected as the white mans
Savior, and had come to the red men.
This is what the white men did to me-
said the figure in the vision, showing
the scars received at the crucifixiOn. Il
come to my Indian children, whom the
white men have oppressed and despised.'
The figure counseled with the Indians
and declared to them that all of their
former glory would return, and that the
dead Indians were rallying from the
spirit land around their living de-
ScendantS.
sin these early visions the figure did
not betray any active a%ntagonism to the
white race beyond that arising from the
rejection of the figure by the palefaces
/ AS Their Savior.
1.-The Indians who saw these visions
returned to their village and related
what they had seen N heard. The
outcome of this was a great religious re-
Viyal, and these visions and revivalS
occurred and required during a period
of six or seven years, spreading from
one Indian tribe to another. Men I'M
dertOOk to imperSOnate the vision seen
by the genuine converts at the revivals.
These impostors INDUCED In sayings
and advice different from those pro-
ceeding from the vision.
This brought trouble. The Indians
were aroused Over a wide stretch of
country, from the Cheyenne river down
into the Indian territory. The craze
pre-eminently affected the Cheyenne
Indians, who made pilgrimageS to
those places at which the visions were
seen by the converts, so as to come into
contact with the figure p%roclaiming
itself to be the Savior of the white race.
The bona fide vision did not counsel
using arms against the whites, but
simply cOunSeled arraying one race
against the other. The story of Christ's
second coming was echoed and re-ech-
oed Over the Indian country, and it eX-
erted an effect upon the Christian as
well as upon the pagan Indian"
"These craZeS have occurred BEFORE"
said DR.. Franz Boas. ''Theae was a
widespread craze among the natives of
the
West of Greenland
at about the opening of the present cen-
fury. There was great excitement
there. At the outset a prophecies APP
peared and converted the entire settle
ment. What was known as the uanc-
ing disease which occurred in Europe
during the middle ages, constituted a
similar phenomenon. There was a rev.
citation to an individual, aud the craze
| spread from Aix-la-Chapelie as far as
Italy. There is a similar craze now in
progress in Siberia, where the natives
fall into ecStasieS and see visions. l
do not attribute these craZes to a great
extent to politics.. They are a disease"
"There seems to be a strong i'm
pulse" said Prof. Daniel S. Martin, ito
excltements like this Indian craze
among all oppressed races. A short
time previous to the beginning of the
civil war a great craze took possession
of the negroes in one part of Kentucky.
| The idea spread among them that Gen.
Fremont was coming to set them free.
He and his soldiers were to appear on
Christmas night. There was a flood in
the Kentucky river about the time the
craze was at it greatest height. and the
/ negroes accounted for it by saying that
Gen. Fremont and his soldiers were con-
cealed under the bottom of the river,
secretly waiting for the hour of deliver
ance."
More light was thrown on the crazes
by Prof. Albert Leighton Rawson. II
remember distinctly" he said, THAT
| such crazes existed among the Bedouins
of Arabia. [ travelled through that
country forty years age, and was told
! many stories of visions and revelations.
1.-THE central idea of the visions and rev.
4 citations was a desire on the part of the
Bedouins to rid themselves of the op-
pressions of the dominant race. On
various visits to Arabia the same sto-
| rleS were told to me. In 1861 l went
that Journey 1 heard similar stories
from the Indians of visions and revela-
tions relating to a great deliverer."
President Brinton said that, in his
belief, it was wrong to attribute the
present craze among the Indians to
Christian teachings. sThe idea of a
deliverer," said Prof. Brinton. sis not
a new m Rev. Mr.. Anthony. an In
dian of the Delaware tribe. once told
me that the word 'Lenape,' the term
used as the name of the Delaware
tribe, and ordinarily translated
to mean The True Man, had
al esoteric significance. The Man
Will Come was the esoteric translation
of the word, and the idea thus ex-
| pressed was in every Delaware Indians
mind when he took part in the medicine
dance. he expected a great and power
full d~eliverer to come and rescue his
tribe. The same idea, or craze exist
ed, it Is not unlikely, In the mind of
MOhteZuma when he held his historic