4
THE
CHEMA W A
AM ERICAN
pratically eliminated from political activity upon the part of those en
gaged in the Indian Service.
But even at that the commissioner is playing politics. His game of
politics is to free the Indian from the incompetency which has disgust
ed him in the past. Not long ago a republican politician in the service
wrote to one of his subordinates “ You’d better fix up that report and
itemize you account; I ’m going out and there’s no telling who will be here
next month,” and forthwith the first intelligent report in a very inter
resting case was revised and at least one Indian is $100 or so better off.
When the bureau is finally manned by persons who have more regard for
the interests of the Indian and less for a political machine, the commis
sioner will have won in a most commendable political game and we wish
him an early triumph.—Times-Democrat, Muskogee, Oklahoma.
THE SHAKER DANCE
B Y A L B E R T B. R E A G A N
N this dance the Indians worship Jesus, calling Him
Jesus-Man, confounding him with Kwatte, their god.
This religious movement began in the early eighties.
It is a compromise between the old Indian worship
and Christianity. The former having been forbidden
by the government, the Shaker “ church” was organ
ized so that the Indians could still have their perform
ances under the constitutional rights granted to all religious denomina
tions. And in this they have entirely won, for Judge James Wickersham,
of Tacoma, Wash., fought the Shaker church case through the courts
and obtained for the aborigines the right to worship God according to
the dictates of their own conscience.
The movement began on the BigShookum River, near Sheltan, Wash.,
in 1892. An Indian, John Slocum, was very sick and was unconscious
for several days. Regaining consciousness, coming back to “ life” again,
as the Indians say, he said he had been dead and in heaven, but that the
keeper of that blissful place had told him that he was a bad Indian and
that he would have to go to hell. But one more chance would be given
him. If he would go back to earth, lead a good life and teach other
Indians to do the same, he would in time be admitted into the happy
hunting ground. He at once began to preach the Shaker doctrine, ex
hibiting the power conferred upon him by those above in a vig
orous shaking and quivering of all the muscles of his whole body. And
all his follows exhibit their power the same way to this day.