manners of the red
people. They must eschew all habits learned from the
whites. Linen or woollen clothing must be replaced by
the old-time buckskin; the 'fire-stick' of the white man
must be abandoned and the bow and arrow must be used in
its stead; the flesh of sheep and bullocks must no longer
be eaten, but only that of deer and buffalo; bread should
no more be made of wheat, but of Indian corn. Every tool
and custom of the whites must be relinquished, and the
Indian must return to the ways taught by the Master of
Life. The Prophet exhorted the young to help the aged
and the infirm; he forbade Indian women to intermarry
with the whites, since the outcome would be inevitable
misery; he condemned the accursed fire-water, which had
caused such contention among the Indians, and threatened
with never-ending flames all those who should persist in
its use. He referred in glowing terms to the boundless
hunting-ground of the red men before the coming of the
whites, and contrasted it with their rapidly narrowing
territory. The Indians, he said, should hold all their
lands in common. Having outlined these reforms, he declared
that when the Indians had carried them out, they should
enjoy the long and peaceful lives of their ancestors and
regain their ancient happiness. To assure his hearers of
the divine character of his mission, he announced that
power had been given him to cure all diseases and to
arrest death as a result of sickness or on the battlefield.

Encouraged by the hope of regaining their lost liberty
and happiness, many flocked about the new prophet. The
Kickapoos and Delawares believed in him without reserve.
His stoutest opponents were some of his own people, who
resented the sudden rise to power and influence of one
hitherto regarded with disfavour as stupid and intemperate.
Shawnee chiefs, jealous of his position, made a plot to
overthrow him. But Tenskwatawa, as he was now called,
turned the tables upon them, and, accusing several of
his most outspoken enemies of witchcraft, caused them to
be put to death, with torture.

In 1806 the governor of Indiana Territory sent an envoy
to the Delawares to deliver the following message:

The dark and thorny road you are now pursuing certainly
will lead you to endless woe and misery. And who is
this pretended prophet, who dares to speak in the name
of the Great Creator? Examine him. Is he more virtuous
than you are yourselves that he should be selec