The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-01-13
Ridge to the high buttes and impossible
Gulches OF the Bad Lands:

my frendsAad relatives: win soon start this thing
In running order Bat before this Tina We must dance
the balance Of this at the END Of which time the
earth will shiver very hard Whenever this thing oc
ours will start the wind blow. We are the onee who
will then see our fathers Mothers and everybody We
the tribe Of Indians the ones who are living
sacred lfs Co.. our Father. himself has told and COM
manded and shown me to do these thinsa Our Father
in heaven has placed mark At each point OF the four
winds nrst clay pipe which lies at the setting Of the
sun and representa- the soux tribe: second there 10
holy arrow lying at the north. which represents the
Cheyenne tribe: third. At the rising Of the sun there
lies hall representing the Arapahoe tribe; and fourth
there lies . pipe and nice feather at the south.
which Representa- the Crow tribe. Ny Father has
shown me these things. therefore We must continue
this dance There may be soldiers surrounding you but
pay attention to them. continue the dance. II the
soldiers surround you four Deep three OF you whom
have put holy shirts will sing song which have
taught you around them. when some Of them will
drop dead then the rest will start to but their
horses will sink into the earth: the riders will Jump
from their horses but they win sink into the earth
also: then you do As you desire With them. Now
you must this that all the soldiers and that
will be dead: there will be only hve thousand Of them
left living the earth Ny friends and relations this
IN straight and true. Now We must gather at Pass
Greek. where the tree 10 sproutng."
Since 1t is q common experience that the
Qualifications Of predictions Of the coming OF
the millennium do not Immediately destroy
the faith Of the believers. Il is not surpris-
ing to find that the events OF last winter
have not wholly put an end to the Messiah
delusion. SHORT BULL himself acknowl-
edged. in the speech just quoted. that the
original prophecy was that the coming OF
the Messiah was to he in two seasons. but
that he had undertaken to advance it. The
tribes OF tho Indian Territory may have
held to the original notion; and 1t is re-
markable that Gen. MILES. In noting the
paciacation OF the Sioux. in his report. says:
while this communication Is being writ
ten. there Is delegation from the Indian
Territory absent. ostensibly to visit rela-
tives at the Arapahoe aud Shoshone reser-
vations in Wyoming. They have. In fact.
gone across the mountains, and are now
in the abodes OF the supporters OF the
Messiah delusion near Pyramid Lake." OF
this visit we may now have the fruits.
Yet the present ghost dances may not be
perious to peace unless as the signs Of prac-
tical grievances. The Messiah delusion un-
questionably teaches peace: and it was when
genuine causes OF complaint were given by
the Government that the excitement pro-
duced by these gatherings led to insubor-
dination. So far as any warning Is to be
drawn from the present demonstrations. it
is that Of dealing justly with the red men.
and then the present delusion will quietly
disappear in due time like others In various
ages and places.