1883: John Slocum’s return from death + competition with White guys
This “Wiggins” stuff is an interesting wrinkle!
Here’s some of the scant contemporary reporting on John Slocum’s religious experience that led him to found the Indian Shaker Church, with its heavy use of Chinook Jargon.
Image credit: CBC
Incidentally, Slocum was a Coast Salish man, a Squaxin, not a Spokane.
There are references to “Wiggins” all over the nationwide media at the time — this was some White guy prophesying the world would end soon, in a big storm.
The following reports don’t bother translating their Chinook Jargon, as we were still well inside the frontier period, with its frequent CJ use in everyday life.
John Slocum, a Spokane Indian, pretend-
ed to die last week, but after reposing two
days in his coffin, he “came to life,” and
claimed that during the absence of his spirit
from the body, it visited heaven, but was
sent back by the Great Spirit. He is daily
preaching to an immense concourse of In-
dians, and among other things, stated that
the Great Spirit told him Wiggins’ storm
was a false prediction, and that his siwash
brethren must not be afraid. He evidently
purposes taking advantage of Wiggins’ mis-
take to make himself famous.
— from the Corvallis (OR) Gazette of March 23, 1883, page 2, column 6
- “Siwash” = sáwásh = ‘Indigenous, Native’.
There’s very little that I can find in regional news outlets of the era that would inform us about Slocum and his religion, for the first several years.
The second article I can find finally tells us, in 1888, the Chinuk Wawa name of the Indian Shaker church, and reveals competition with another White fella:
A New Indian Religion.
The Indians of the Squakson [Squaxin], Nis-
qually, [Upper] Chehalis and Skokomish tribes
are at present extremely indignant at
Agent Elis [Rev. Myron Eells] for refusing to allow them
to worship their “Sehale Tyee” (God)
according to a plan which has recently
come into vogue among them. They
have, as usual, made known their big
grievance to their “big father,” Gen-
eral Milroy, the ex-Indian agent for
the district, whom they deem as their
great protector and friend, and have
requested him to secure them the privi-
lege of worshiping as they see fit.
Their religion is of a recent origin and
it is said by those who are acquainted
with the tribe adopting it, that super-
stitiuous [SIC] and rediculous [SIC] as the belief is,
not unlike that of many civilized na-
tions, it has seemed to be prolific of
much good among them, probably
owing to the fright with which it in-
spires them and not from any sense of
right or a desire to please their “Sa-
hale Tyee.” They style their new
belief the “Slocum Tumtum,” it
having originated with one of the
Squakson tribe named John Slocum.
Sometime ago John claimed to have
had a revelation from the “happy
hunting ground” in which it was re-
vealed to him that any Indian desir-
ing to participate in the festivities of
the “sahale illahe” must lead a purely
upright life, it being necessary for
such Indian to abstain from all gamb-
ling, drinking, swearing, etc. The
announcement of this alleged revela-
tion by Slocum has made him so
prominent a personage among the
dusky believers that he is now re-
garded with much more reverence
than the “Hyas Tyee” of whom he
claims to be an apostle. Their mode
of worship is in some respects similar
to that practiced by the Quakers,
years ago, each one speaking or acting
as the spirit moves him. The result
is frequently very ludicrous to an un-
believing spectator. Before begin[n]ing
a meeting they always select a leader
whose duty it is to go into a trance,
when in this state the leader’s influ-
ence over his believing auditors seems
to be without limit. The meetings
usually last several hours, being ter-
minated when the leader’s trance is at
an end. This wild belief and practice
has occupied the attention of Agent
E[e]lls for sometime, who has at last in-
terfered and announced that the new
religion must be abolished, as he has
desires to christianize them. This has
led to a general remonstrance from
the deciples [SIC] of the “Slocum Tumtum“
who desire to continue their mode of
worship. General Milroy refers to the
first amendment of the constitution of
the United States and assures them
that they will be protected and allow-
ed to worship according to the dictates
of their conscience.
- “Sehale/Sahale Tyee” = sáx̣ali-táyí = ‘God’ (“sky-chief’)
- “Slocum Tumtum” = slókʰəm*-tə́mtəm = ‘the Slocum idea’
- “sahale illahe” = sáx̣ali-ílihi = ‘heaven’ (‘sky-country’)
- “Hyas Tyee” = háyás(h)-táyí = ‘great chief’
This brings to light a wrinkle in the story that I suspect explains quite a lot. Rev. Myron Eells was a longtime Protestant missionary to the Puget Sound Native people, who used Chinook Jargon in that work.
As I’ve shown on my website, Eells created many catchy fluent CJ songs to spread his own message, prominently promoting abstinence from alcohol and other not-strictly-Biblical ideas!
Now empowered as an Indian Agent — these guys were little dictators — he was trying to stamp out a movement that he himself had probably inspired!
