j nev] wovoka's vision 773 



rain, the first of which brings on a mist or cloud, the second a snowfall, 

 the third a shower, and the fourth a hard rain or storm, while when he 

 sings the fifth song the weather again becomes clear. 



I knew that he was holding something in reserve, as no Indian would 

 unbosom himself on religious matters to a white man with whom he had 

 not had a long and intimate acquaintance. Especially was this true in 

 view of the warlike turn affairs had taken across the mountains. Con- 

 sequently I accepted his statements with several grains of salt, but on 

 the whole he seemed to be honest in his belief and his supernatural 

 claims, although, like others of the priestly function, he occasionally 

 resorts to cheap trickery to keep up the impression as to his miraculous 

 powers. From some of the reports he is evidently an expert sleight-of- 

 hand performer. He makes no claim to be Christ, the Son of God, as 

 has been so often asserted in print. He does claim to be a prophet who 

 has received a divine revelation. I could not help feeling that he was 

 sincere in his repudiation of a number of the wonderful things attrib- 

 uted to him, for the reason that he insisted so strongly on other things 

 fully as trying to the faith of a white man. He made no argument and 

 advanced no proofs, but said simply that he had been with Coil, as 

 though the statement no more admitted of controversy than the propo- 

 sition that 2 and 2 are I. From Mr .1. ( >. Gregory, formerly employed 

 at the agency, and well acquainted with the prophet, I learned that 

 Wovoka had once requested him to draw up and forward to the Presi- 

 dent a statement of his supernatural claims, with a proposition that if 

 he could receive a small regular stipend he would take up his residence 

 on the reservation and agree to keep Nevada people informed of all 

 the latest news from heaven and to furnish rain whenever wanted. The 

 letter was never forwarded. 



From a neighboring ranchman, who knew Wovoka well and some- 

 times employed him in the working season, I obtained a statement 

 which seems to explain the whole matter. It appears that a short time 

 before the prophet began to preach he was stricken down by a severe 

 fever, during which illness the ranchman frequently visited and minis- 

 tered to him. While he was still sick there occurred an eclipse of the 

 sun, a phenomenon which always excites great alarm among primitive 

 peoples. In their system the sun is a living being, of great power and 

 beneficence, and the temporary darkness is caused by an attack on 

 him by some supernatural monster which endeavors to devour him, and 

 will succeed, and thus plunge the world into eternal night unless driven 

 off by incantations and loud noises. On this occasion the Paiute were 

 frantic with excitement and the air was filled with the noise of shouts 

 and waitings and the firing of guns, for the purpose of frightening off 

 the monster that threatened the life of their god. It was now, as 

 Wovoka stated, "when the sun died,*' that he went to sleep in the day- 

 time and was taken up to heaven. This means simply that the excite- 

 ment and alarm produced by the eclipse, acting on a mind and body 



