moonev] DELEGATES TO THE MESSIAH 817 



to weaken their faith in later prophets. Dr George Bird Grinnell. a 

 competent authority, states, in reply to a personal letter, that nothing 

 was known about the dance by the Blackfeet of Montana or by the 

 Blackfeet, Sarsi, or Plains Oree on the Canadian side of the boundary 

 line. 



Within the same general region, east of the Bocky mountains and 

 north of Oklahoma, the doctrine and the dance were accepted by the 

 Asiuiboin (Fort Belknap and Fort Peck agencies), Grosventres (Arap- 

 aho subtribe, Fort Belknap agency), northern Cheyenne of Montana; 

 the Arikara, Grosventres (Minitari), and Mandan of Fort Berthold 

 agency. North Dakota; the Shoshoni and northern Arapaho on Wind 

 River reservation in Wyoming, as already mentioned; and by thegreat 

 body of the Sioux, at Fort Peck agency (Yanktonais), Montana, and at 

 Standing Bock, Cheyenne River, Lower Brule, Pine Bidge, and Bose- 

 bud agencies in North Dakota and South Dakota. The whole number 

 of Sioux concerned was about 20,000, of whom 16,000 belonged to the 

 Teton division, among the. wildest and most, warlike of all the western 

 tribes. A few Cheyenne arc also associated with the Sioux at Pine 

 Bidge. 



The northern Arapaho and the Shoshoni of Wyoming were the 

 medium by which the doctrine of the new messiah was originally com- 

 municated to all these tribes. In the spring of 1889, Nakash, "Sage," 

 the Arapaho chief already mentioned, crossed the mountains to inves- 

 tigate the reports of the new religion, and brought back a full confir 

 mation of all that had been told them from the west. A visiting 

 Grosventre, then among the Arapaho, heard the story and brought 

 back the wonderful news to the Grosventres and Asiuiboin of Fort 

 Belknap, but although his account was received by some with unques- 

 tioning faith, the excitement had in itnothing of a dangerous character. 

 {G.D., is.) 



In a short time the news spread to the Cheyenne in Montana and the 

 Sioux of the Dakotas, and in the fall of 1889 delegates from these two 

 tribes arrived at Fort Washakie to learn more about the messiah in 

 the west. The principal Cheyenne delegate was Porcupine, while 

 Short Bull and Kicking Bear were the leaders of the Sioux party. 

 After hearing the statements of the Arapaho and Shoshoni, it was 

 decided that some of the Cheyenne should return and report to their 

 tribe, while. Porcupine and one or two others, with the Sioux delegates, 

 several Shoshoni, and the Arapaho, Sitting Bull, and Friday, should go 

 to Nevada, interview the messiah himself, and learn the whole truth 

 of the matter. Accordingly, about November, 1889, Porcupine and his 

 companions left Fort Washakie in Wyoming for Fort Hall reservation 

 in Idaho, where they met the Shoshoni and Bannock and were well 

 received and entertained by them. The tribes at this place wen- firm 

 believers in the new doctrine, and Porcupine states that from there 

 on to the end of the journey all the Indians they met were dancing 



