115 
Notes ON THE SHAKER CHURCH OF THE INDIANS. 
By ALsert B. REAGAN. 
(Continued from page 71, Proceedings, Indiana Academy of Scienee, 1908.) 
The Shaker Indians of the West Coast are now taking steps to in- 
corporate the Shaker faith in an organized church. Judge Giles of Olym- 
pia, Washington, is now working up the articles of incorporation for the 
Indians. Soon they will have an organized church, a chureh by Indians 
and for Indians only. Temperance is their watchword; and healing the 
’ 
sick through prayer and laying on of hands and “shaking” over them is 
one of their tenets. The church about to be incorporated is copied in part 
from several denominations, besides imbibing the doctor—'‘tomanawis” be- 
liefs of the old times including a part of the “tomanawis” ceremonies. The 
Episcopal church furnishes the idea of chanting prayers'. The Catholic 
church furnishes the custom of burning candles during the service and the 
old custom of making the sign of the cross and the bowing of the knee 
when “Jesus-Man” is mentioned. The shaking, body-jerking, the contor- 
tions, the muscle-quivering, the wried face, and the hypnotic influence are 
derived from the shamanistic customs of the old times. Hypnotism and 
shamanistic intluence in general are the leading powers and are the things 
which actuate the Indian to perpetuate the religion. 
In talking with a ‘shaker,’ he will always tell you he has felt the 
aw 
“power” and that is why he shakes so hard. ‘It 1s the power of God tak- 
ing hold of him that makes him shake,’ he affirms. From the start if 
Was ny opinion that the “power” the shakers felt when shaking is hyp- 
notism. To satisfy myself I went in among the actors several times. At 
once I could feel the “power.” There was no mistake about it. I had 
often felt the same “power” at the old style medicine singings and dances 
from the Pueblo and Apache country to the land of the Norman Lion. 
1The chanted “doxology” in the church language of the Shakers is: 
“wax tsnahs mahah’ stee stah nah’ stee tah’ tsohn tohs pray’ kloh 
mahahs’ stee stah’,” 
Note.—The “stee’’ above is pronounced as though the first two letters were 
medium between ‘“s’’ and “t,” ranging between “st” and ‘ts’ in pronunciation. 
The accented words are much prolonged. 
