The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-11-15
INDIANS Who ARE SHAKERS.
STIRRING SERYrCE no GET RID OF
THE EYIL SPIRIT.

Vigorous Fell Ringing, Weird
Chant an Violent Shaking to Make
Good indians Out of Bad Ones.
"Well shake again on Friday night.
There's going to be a big meeting then.
Come and see us"
These words were spoken in good
English by Dixie James, a full blooded
Quiniault Indian at Bay Center, Pa
cific county, Wash, in reply to an in
CURRY concerning the peculiar religious
rites the indians of that village are in
the habit of performing two or three
times a week Dixie James is the Indi-
an preacher of the village.
On Friday evening the sweet-toned
bell announced that the hour for the
shaker meeting had arrived. The
meeting place was a one-story, unpaint-
ed, rough board structure, with three
windows and one door. The bell, in
stead of being hung in a. tower, was
placed inside the building just above
the floor. The floor space was clear,
with the exception of row of benches
which lined the four sides of the room
which was perhaps about twenty-five
by fifty feet in size.
From the center of the ceiling hung q
homemade chandelier of wood with
four arms, at the extreme ends Of
which were lighted tallow candles, the
four signifying the four evangelists of
the New Testament, as explained by a
Swapping sullen Flathead Indian of the
Chinook tribe.
In the end of the building farthest
from the door were three rude wooden
crosses against the wall, the center one
being somewhat larger and a bit more
elevated than those on each side of it.
On the top and cross arms of each were
three lighted candles, the center cross
signifying that on which Christ was
crucified, and the other two those on
which the two thieves met their death
with him. The three candles represent
the Trinity. Directly beneath the CEN
ter cross, upon a rude shelf, an even
dozen candles were burning, represent
ing the twelve apostles, and under the
shelf was a common board table, on
which stood a single lighted candle in
dicating the Great Spirit. No candle
sticks were used, the candles being
fastened at the end by their own cooled
wax On the table We're also four sill
ver-plated bells.
These Christian Indians always con-
duct the service in their own language
and with the greatest gravity and in
tense emotion. On this occasion the
Indians ranged themselves on the
benches in front and on one side of the
building, the whites sitting on the 9TH
Ell side and in the rear. About sixty
persons We're present, the number of
whites and Indians being about equal.
Dixie James opened the service. He
was dressed in a loose, light-coored
pair of trousers, with the suspenders
exposed outside common white fan
mel shirt, which had no collar or cravat
He began by delivering an address in
Chinook jargon. He said:
1.-THE Great Spirit likes to have his
children come together in big meetings
to serve Him and do His will He
wants us to be good children and is
sorry when we are bad. When the evil
spirit enters into us the Great Spirit
grieves. He grieves tonight that some
of us are bad. But He tells us how to
drive the evil spirit out. We must pray
and work that all the bad shall go
away from us. Let each pray for the
others, and let those who are truly good
gather round those who have grieved
the Great Spirit and draw the evil spir-
it out of them and cast 1t into outer
darkness. When the badness is shaken
out Of the sorry ones then the Great |
Spirit will be glad and his bad children
will be good again.
Then followed a prayer with fervent |
responses by the Indians, all kneeling
with their faces toward the center
cross. This was followed by a weird |
chant, then by supplementary remarks |
by the leader and another prayer, the |
Indians getting all the time more inter- /
ested, though preserving a very serious
Suddenly Dixie James seized a bell
from the table and began ringing it
Justify. George Charley, who is chief
Of the Indians Of that vicinity by de-
scent, though the tribal relations are
no longer observed, seized another bell
and joined in the ringing. Another In
dian known as China John grasped two
bells, one in each hand, and chimed in
with the Others. These two were
dressed as was Dixie James, though
one wore blue oyeralls instead of trous-
ars, the storepr ice mark still on the
waistband. The three stood still ring
ing the bells up and down. never vary
ing the motion or changing the rapid
" of their changing. China John con-
inued this constant ringing for an hour
ind quarter without let up, and the
strain on the trained muscles Of the In
lian's arm seemed terrific.
When the ringing commenced, those
indians who desired the evil spirit driv-
N out of them ranged themselves be-
ore the table and facing the crosses
leld up their arms as highAas they
ould above their heads, standing rig
d and motionless. There We're three to
re shaken this evening, Mrs. Springer
/ backslider; Charley Stiltz, young
buck Of consumptive appearance, who
s. frequently shaken, and Mrs Will
on, visitor from the Quiniault reser-
,ation, who was troubled with the evil
pirit in the form of Indigestion or
ONE other stomach trouble.
AS the three candidates placed them
elves in position to be shaken, with the I
hree beU-rineers changing their ear
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