Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-19
THE INDIAN MESSIAH.
MT. Mooney Tells Some Interesting Facts
About the Craze.

| About the Craze.
The lecture hall Of the Cosmos Club held
about as many people last night could be
well crowded in. The regular meeting of the
Archaeological Society was the occasion and
every chair in the room held an interested
auditor, while many stood patiently in the rear
Of the hall, and one enterprising scientist bal
snced himself on a three-legged chair and
seemed to enjoy it. Besides visitors and men,
bers OF the club the hall contained big white
screen, a stereopticon apparatus, some gaudy
Indian costumes and q lot of charts covered
! with mysterious words. These charts were
first brought into play by DR.. ]. Owen Dorsey,
who delivered an interesting talk on ''Sionan
Phonetic Types
THE INDIAN GHOST DANCE.
After the conclusion Of DIR Dorseys talk the
other properties we're brought into play by Mr..
James Mooney, who talked on the subject of
''The Indian Messiah and the Ghost Dance. :"
Mr.. Mooney illustrated his lecture by large
number of excellent photographs. thrown on
the screen, and also by means of the specimens
of ghost shirts and other relics which he had
obtained. The late Messiah craze. Mr.. Mooney
explained, was not the first of like affairs by
any means. and eight or ten similar movements
have taken place among our American In
dams. The last movement, however, was
probably the most widely extended which
has ever taken place among the
North American tribes. The movement was
started by a young Piute, known among the
whites as Jack Wilson. This Indians father
prevailed before him. The present Messiah did
not make open assumption of divine authority
until January 1. 1889. Wilson told the lecturer
that he did not become a prophet until the day
the sun went to sleep, when he went into q
trance and assembled up to heaven. where
him to return to the earth and tell
the people what he had seen. The
man, Mr.. Mooney believed, was thoroughly
sincere in his belief. Much of Mr.. Mooney 8
Investigations had taken place among the Ar
apahoe tribes. as these Indians seem especially
adapted to spiritual ideas and have been active
and earnest disseminatOrs of the Messiah belief.
In speaking of the Arapahoes the lecturer gave
an account of a futile attempt of his to get a
view of some of the relics reigiously preserved
by the tribes. There is a belief among the
tribe that at the creation the great spirit gave
the tribe pipe and an ear of corn and these
relics are still zealously guarded and preserved
by the northern tribe in Wyoming.
THE SIOUX OUTBREAKS.
Speaking of the late outbreaks among the
Sioux Mr.. Mooney held that the ghost dance
was only incidental to the outbreaks. The real
cause was the failure of our government 10
too experienced in warfare to deliberately go
on the warpath in the midst of winter and with
out provisions. If the ghost dance had not
been mere incident of the outbreaks We
should have found uprising among all tho
tribes where a belief in the Messiah exetad.
The outbreaks cost the government and state of
Nebraska about 81, 100000, besides the loss OF
life
Mr.. Mooney had closely watched the ghost
dance and was one of a very few white men who
had been allowed to take q close view Of the
affair
THE INDIAN MESSIAH.
The lantern pictures displayed during the
lecture were from photographs taken by Mr..
Mooney. He possessed the only picture of the
Messiah in existence, which was shown. The
Messiah, Mr.. Mooney explained. was thirty-six
years of age and lived in Mason Valley, New.
He possessed typical Piute face. Many
pictures Of the battlefield at Wounded Knee
were shown and these were followed by a re-
markable collection OF photographs Of Indians
in the different phases Of the ghost dance
was the basis of the ghost dance.
The belief is that after the dan
GERS go into the stage of insensibility they
converse with all their dead relatives and
friends The Messiah belief, said the speaker,
held that when the lord Of this world came the
two feathers which the dancers wear in their
hair will turn to wings and they will be able to
soar upward to the new world, where the ''old
timers" with all their pristine happiness will be
reviewed. In the dance the medicine men act
as hypnotisers and the dancers 60 through the
stages Of trembling, high excitement, rigidity
and insensibility.