The suburban citizen., 1900-06-16


Revealed the Secrets of the Red Mems
Ghost Dance-Indian statecraft.
N EPORT comes from the Ton
- que River country that the
Indians of that region are
restless and making prepara-
tions to inaugurate a series of ghost
or Messiah dances. The military
authorities have been appealed to and
Il the excitement continues in all
probability there will eventually be a
conflict between the red man and the
troops which will end disastrously for
the former. 1t is more than a matter
of pity that this Government at its
very formation did not take definite
steps for the scientific investigation OF
the Messiah dance as practiced by the
various tribes and thus preserve to all
future generations an accurate story
of the origin of one of the most re-
markable religious manifestations
known to any race or time. Since
the United States chronological Bu-
reau has been given latitude in its
study of the Indian much valuable in
formation in regard to this dance has
been secured and made permanent.
The work of Professor Mooney among
the various tribes in the study of the
ghost dance has proved invaluable.
We are beginning to dimly realize
that the North American Indian was
a past master in statecraft and that
to-day as a Cherokee, an Arapaho, I'm
Apache, or a prairie Sioux he is not a
stupid mass OF flesh and bones, but
progressive, intelligent human, who
needs only fair treatment honest
handling and decent opportunity to
make far more creditable citizen
than 2 considerable percentage of the
white men to be found in the average
city ward. The greatest offense ever
charged against the North American
Indian was no more than the worst
said OF the Filipino to-day-he re-
sisted whore he believed himself to be
right, and his opponent, the inevitable
white man, to be wrong. And in this
connection there has been more trash
and falsehood written about his Mes
siah dance than all the tears of the
gentle recording angel can ever wash
out. You have seen good Methodist
brethren at the height of psalm singing
in the camp meetings go through many
peculiar gyrations and say many
peculiar things. Yet they were act
ing under no different primary in
huences than the Indian in his leap
ing and jumping Messiah dance. With
the Indian it is as with all men, he has
been looking to the unanswering skies
for ages to see the sign of the coming
of the harbinger of joy-the one who
is to restore youth to the face of the
earth and peace to the body and minds
,os the inhabitants thereof.
%@+A%
In the Indian belief their Messiah
will be white in color. The Indians
red skin is but an indication that at
one distant time he offended the Great
Spirit and his color was changed from
white to red. But he will be restored
TO the white skin, the emblem or mark
Of innocence, when the Messiah APP
pears before him and by his presence
makes the very 'hills leap and laugh
with Joy" When the Indians of
central Illinois first saw white men in
the persons of Marquette and Joliet
thew believed and said that this was
the token that the Messiah was near
and that his eventful appearance was
matter of short moment. So on the
banks of the Illinois River these
ouileless Indians danced before the
French Jesuits and declared that
''never had the sun shone so brightly
nor the earth seemed so beautiful" as
on the day when they approached. 1t
required b 1T matter OF few years
to convince the Indian that the white
men were not the forerunners Of the
Messiah, but of tho evil spirit, bear
ing in their hands the instruments of
ravage and ruin. This discovery,
though, did not destroy the Indian be-
lief that the Messiah would come.
Regularly prophets appeared among
the tribes and foretold the coming Of
the Indian Christ.
The tribes were warned that they
must cease their 1dolatrous reverence
IOI buo lnbulC4uO I4OuS bhap thoJ LAuob
quit the use of liquor, drive all dogs
from their camps, no longer make war
upon women. By ceasing these evils
they prepared themselves for the Mes
siahs appearance. The prophets
passed through all the regions oflthe
Columbian River tribes; they came to
the Sioux upon the Missouri; they
visited the Winnebaooes and the Chin.
pewas and passed among all the tribes
of the Ohio Valley Territory. So
powerful was their influence that on
one occasion an entire tribe of the
Chippewas left the Lake Superior re-
gion and travelled to Detroit, where
they had been told the Messiah would
meet them. Great was the excitement
always when the prophets appeared
and foretold the coming of the Deliv-
avad fUba donoa Oricginated ag q re-