Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-11-08
THE INDIAN MESSIAH.

matter, yet some Of his enuncia-
tons arc somewhat mixed. Itseems
clear, however, that a belief in the
Messiah is very Widespread among
the aborigines, including, according
to General Miles, sixteen tribes
That gentleman has no doubt that
the Indians have seen some person
claiming to be Christ; also that there
must be several individuals making
that claim, for the reason that
wherever seen, he spoke the same
language as the particular tribe
whose members were In his
presence.
The reports and rumors on the
subject have been numerous and
conflicting, but nobody who has
given the subject any special atten-
ton appears to have any doubt that
the Indians have seen some remark
able parsonage, who has made a
wonderful impression upon them.
Sitting Bull appears TO have lately
loomed up conspicuously in the
agitation, being among those who
claim to have seen the Messiah and
conversed with him. a dispatch
from Kansas City, dated Nov. 4th,
gave the substance Of a special from
Fort Reno. 1t embodies an account
given by Sitting Bull Of an expert
enee he chained TO have had on the
subject. We here introduce some
extracts:
ale was hunting near tine Shoshone
Mountains and as the night came on
he was seized with a strange feeling
and at first involuntarily, but finally
with alacrity, he followed a star which
moved westward. AL night the star
guided him and near morning in the
mountains he came upon the Mes
siah, clad in n white robe. His hair
was long aud his beard extended TO
his breast, and about his head was a
halo. When this sight burst upon
Sitting Bull he tainted"
Then follows n description Of a
vision he had while IN a trance. In
this he was shown a large company
of Indians who had died and gone
into the spirit world.
presently he was restored TO his
senses, and the Messiah began talking
20 him. To those acquainted with the
Indian character, tho first does not
seem strange. He asked Sitting Bull
what he wanted to eat, and was an
swered buffalo Immediately he
saw a herd near by. and killed
one. The Messiah asked IL all
the Indians would like to see
their dead kindred, and buffalo re-
stored. Sitting Bull says he assured
/ him. they would, and was told to go
back, and assure his tribe that they
would be graiified. The Messiah said
he had come to save the white man,
but they had prosecuted him, and now
he had come TO deliver the long tor
mented Indians.
she showed the holes in his hands
made by the nails when he was cru
Gifted to show that he was the same
Chris. who had appeared long years
ago. AL day Christ instructed him
aud gave him evidence Of his powers.
"At shutdown he babe Sitting Bull
TO depart, and although ne had been
hunting away from his tribe for ten
sleeps he came to it in n very few min
utes. He told his people his story and
asked thaiPorcupine be sent forto YER
ify 1t. He returned with the same tales.
and presumably all were convinced"
We have at hand a large number
Of extracts from different newspa-
pers on the subject Of the 'Indlan
Christ" some Of them claiming to
embody the assertions OF aborIgines
who state that they have seen the
Messiah and heard him talk. Out
of the mass Of statements the follow
ing appear to be the central points
urged by the leading believers ia
the genuine character of the new
Indian belief: That q parsonage
exhibiting supernatural powers has
shown himself and stated that be
was the same Christ who appeared
to their "cousins across the great
waters" many years ago, and that
he was abused and killed By them
by being nailed to a tree; that he
showed the marks Of spikes having
been driven through his hands, and
said he had similar marks on his
feet, and the evidence Of
spear wound in his side.
He had offered TO save the whites
and they refused to accept him, and
now the day Of the Indians, who
had been greatly wrOnged, was
about TO come. He proposed to de-
stroy the whites by covering them
with earth, and save the Indians.
who are TO be restored 10 the owrer-
ship Of the lands aud have the privi-
lege Of associating with their dead
kindred, who are to appear among
them by Icing raised to life. He
also taught them to be honest, peace
fuland cleanly, ami give up ali bad
habits. Toe restoration OF the In
dian SIS to begin, they assert, shortly
after the grass begins to grow, next
spring. This emb0dies the essence
Of what the followers Of the new
faith among the Indians claim, aud,
to say the least, 1t Is a wonderful
movement, and enc is puzzled in
endeavoring to account for it.
General Miles expresses the be
lief that the movement is attribut-
able to the "Mormons," or, in
other words, that the Indian
Messiah is one Of their Elders
pretending to be the Savior. More
than that, it seems that he ex-
presses an opinion virtually to the
effec. that as the being whom the
Indians claim to have seen and
heard speaks numerous tribal
languages, number Of Elders
must be engaged in working this
deception. A more foolish or un-
just belief could scarcely be enter
tlined, and balder reasons for IL
eould not be giventhan those alleged |
to have been enunriated by General |
Miles. One is that the "Mor-