Movers & Shakers in Siletz

The Shakers, in case you don't know, were a Christian sect which developed in Manchester, England in 1747 and later spread to the New England area. Their meetings were known for the shaking and quaking which took over a member when the Holy Spirit came upon them in a powerful way. The enigma of the "Shakers" as they came to be called was that the rest of their lives were characterized by quiet, industrious living, and gentle reserved manner.
The Shakers are best known to us today by one of their hymns: Simple Gifts, which has the lines, "It's a gift to be simple, its a gift to be free. Its a gift to come down where you ought to be...." Slowly and quietly these folks attracted the interest of long time believers and new converts alike, but Shakerism" was mostly a white man's game.
"The Indian Shaker Church is a Christian denomination founded in 1881 by Squaxin logger John Slocum in Washington state. The Indian Shaker Church is a unique blend of American Indian, Catholic, and Protestant beliefs and practices. The Indian Shakers are unrelated to the Shakers of New England (United Society of Believers) and are not to be confused with the Native American Church." (Wikipedia) Though it should be noted that many of their practices have their roots in the New England Shakers.
By the late 1800's this indian Shaker movement had reached the Siletz tribe here in the headlands, and by 1923 it was well established. We pick up the narrative from "Oregon History Online"
"...in that year members from elsewhere were invited to dedicate a new church building and to hold a revival meeting. Shaker leaders among the Yakima and Klamath arrived in several automobiles and there was an immediate response to the appeals for converts.
A large number of the Siletz Indians joined in the next few years; so many, in fact that their desertion from the other churches alarmed the missionaries. In 1928, Father Charles Raymond was appointed to undertake a preaching mission at Siletz because of "the deplorable fact that the Catholic Siletz Indians have joined the Shakers..."
We see here an all too common dynamic of the "faith world" and the struggle between the conservative non-evangelical strains and the more animated faith of the evangelical ones. Despite being labeled with the toxic title of a "cult" these folks pressed on in their faith with numerous healings, visions and prophetic fulfillments. Not much is said today about the Siletz Shakers, who just sort of faded from view.
But for me an interesting question arises, namely, what attracted these Native Americans to this religion in the first place. What was strong enough to lure them from the iron grip of mainline Christian denominations?
The answer, I think, is that their concept of the Great Spirit (God) and the manifestations of His influence (His Holy Spirit) on men were very similar to what the New England Shakers understood. There was a symbiant dynamic between the two worlds. The "being under the power" of the Shakers was very similar to the trance-like state experienced by many indian folks when they dance & sing. There was an organic connection, if you will. The spiritual meetings of both groups involved singing, dancing, moving & shaking, prophetic utterances and healings. In these northwest tribes, this was not induced by drugs and alcohol, but by the movement of the Spirit of God, and under His control it should be noted. This drove both Catholic and Protestant leaders nuts. Sadly the bottom line of most of Christendom is about the control of mens' souls and not the true and free worship of God.
Today the Siletz' are still movin' and shakin'. Each year in early August you will find them dancing, singing and coming under the power of The Great Spirit at their annual Pow-wow, held on their reservation, about 10 miles from Newport.
If you looking for a very rich cultural/religious experience, head up to the "Res" and check out these Movers and Shakers.