The Resurrection of the Big Chief
A Mud Bay man wakes from a trance to declare himself a prophet, leading hundreds of Indigenous followers into town in a solemn, chanting procession.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
About a week ago, an old Indian living on Mud Bay, a few miles west of this town, went into a trance and lay in a stupid condition for several days. His friends thought he must be dead, and made preparations to bury him. While the funeral ceremonies were going on, the Indian came to life, and, jumping up, declared that he had been communing with the Great Spirit, and had learned that the world was coming to an end in a few months. He further told them that he had been appointed by the Great Spirit as their leader. He was at once declared 'Big Chief,' and commanded them all to be good Indians. Today they formed in procession, with the Big Chief at the head, and marched into town in line, chanting praise and looking very grave and solemn. They were about two hundred strong, men, women and children, and at 11 o'clock they marched to the Presbyterian Church, where they were kindly received.
“He declared in a most eloquent manner to the two hundred mourners that he had been communing with the Great Spirit.”
This account reflects the complex intersection of Indigenous spiritual movements and colonial intrusion in the 19th-century Puget Sound. While the language used by the paper is patronizing, it documents a powerful moment of cultural resilience and community gathering at a time of immense pressure on local tribes.
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