702 THE GHOST-DANCE RELIGION [eth.axx.14 



began t<> come in and appropriate much of the Indian country in Nevada, and in the 

 usual course ii turned out that the medicine-men or prophets were looked to for relief. 

 The must Influential went up alone into the mountain and there met the Great Spirit. 

 He brought back with him no tablets of stone, but he was a messenger of good 

 tidings to the effect that within a few moons there was to be a great upheaval or 

 earthquake. All the improvements of the whites —all their houses, their goods, 

 st. nes, etc. — would remain, but the whites would ba swallowed up, while the Indians 

 would be saved and permitted to enjoy the earth and all the fullness thereof, in- 

 cluding anything left by the wicked whites. This revelation was duly proclaimed 

 b\ the prophet, ami attracted a few- believers, hut the doubting skeptics were too 

 many, and they ridiculed the idea that the white men w ould fall into the holes aud 

 he s wall, i weil up while the Indians would not. As the prophet could not enforce his 

 belief, he went up into the mountain again and came back with a second revelation, 

 which was t hat when the great disaster came, all, both Indians and whites, would be 

 swallowed ii]! or overwhelmed, but that at the end of three daj s (or a few days) the 

 Indians would ho resurrected in the flesh, aud would live forever to enjoy the earth, 

 with plenty of game, fish, and pine nuts, while their enemies, the whites, would 

 be destroyed forever. There would thus he a final and eternal separation between 

 Indians ami whites. 



This revelation, which seemed more reasonable, was rather popular for awhile, 

 but as time wore along faith seemed to weaken and the prophet was without honor 

 even in his own country. After much fasting and prayer, he made a third trip to 

 the mountain, where he scented a final revelation or message to the people. The 

 divine spirit had become so much incensed at the lack of faith in the prophecies, 

 that it was revealed to his chosen one that those Indians who believed in the 

 prophecy would he resurrected and he happy, but those who did not believe in it 

 would stay in tin- ground and be damned forever with the whites. 



It was not long after this that the prophet died, and the poor miserable Indians 

 worried along for nearly two decades, eating grasshoppers, lizards, and fish, and 

 trying to be civilized until the appearance of this new prophet Quoit-tsow, who is 

 said to he the son, either actual or spiritual, of the first one. 



Additional details tire given in tin' following interesting' extract 

 from a letter addressed to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, under 

 date of November 1'.', 1890, by Mr Frank Campbell, who has ;m inti- 

 mate acquaintance with the tribe and was employed in an official 

 capacity on the reservation at the time when Tavibo first announced 

 the new revelation. It would appear from Mr Campbell's statement 

 that under the new dispensation both races were to meet, on a common 

 level, and, as this agrees with what Professor Thompson, referred to later 

 on, afterward found among the eastern Paiute, it is probable that the 

 original doctrine had been very considerably modified since its first 

 promulgation a lew years before. 



Eighteen years ago I was resident farmer on Walker Lake Indian reserve, Nevada. 

 I bad previously been connected with the Indian service at the reserv e lor ten years, 

 was familiar with the Paiute customs, and personally acquainted with all the 

 Indians in that region. In 1ST- an Indian commenced preaching a new religion 

 at that reserve that caused a profound sensation among the Paiute. For several 

 months I was kept in ignorance of the cause of the excitement -which was remark- 

 able, considering the confidence they had always reposed in me. They in. doubf 

 expected me to ridicule the sayings of the new messiah, as l had always labored 

 among them to break down their superstitions beliefs. When finally 1 was made 



