♪ There is a stone monument standing in a church graveyard in Idaho on the Nez Perce Indian reservation. This stone has a strange inscription on it that refers to an amazing event in American history that has been almost forgotten. It reads, "Coming as the morning sun over the mountains in response to the historic search of the four Nez Perces for the Book of Heaven that dispelled the darkness of this benighted race and gave them the light of life." The story begins like this.
(typewriter sounds) (Indian flute playing) In the summer of 1832, four Indians walked into Saint Louis. They were looking for William Clark because since his epic journey with Meriwether Lewis to explore the West, he was appointed the superintendent of Indian Affairs for all regions west of the Mississippi. He had met this tribe before: the Nez Perce. They had saved him in the expedition by giving them food and horses, when they almost died crossing the mountains in the snow.
Now, these guys had come to see him looking for the book from the Great Spirit teaching, the Will of God. They also wanted someone to teach them from the book. Clark met with him several times. Unfortunately, two died while in Saint Louis, but two of them survived. Now, this guy no horn on his head and rabbit's skin leggings. We know their name and their mission. These are the actual portraits of these men painted by our old friend George Catlin, who was there at the time.
He had traveled the West and had a knack for being at the right place at the right time. Or was it God's plan to document this story for future generations. Because this story shows his love for the Native Indian people. He was pulling people out of their comfort zones for his purpose, to take the Gospel to his beloved people. Now, let me show you something.
The news of the Nez Perce journey to Saint Louis and their desire for a Bible and a preacher reached Boston, where it sparked a missionary movement among religious leaders and organizations. They saw this as an opportunity to bring Christianity to the Western frontier and convert the indigenous populations to Christian faith. Missionaries were sent west, establishing schools, churches and missions among the tribes. But let me show you something.
The Zion Advocate was the most popular newspaper of the day. It was the most influential and it was a Christian newspaper. The church was occupying the media. The story was written in the March 1st, 1833 edition of The Christian Advocate by the Secretary of the Methodist Board of Foreign Missions. Walker described meeting three of the Indians in St Louis, and he told of their overwhelming desire to secure a copy of a book containing directions how to conduct themselves before the Great Spirit.
The article argued that the Indians were clearly seeking the wisdom of the Bible. Now, some secular historians have found this story just too much to believe that maybe the Indians were just seeking technology and they tried to play it down because this is a documented historical fact. But what they don't know is the rest of the story, which we have documented from the people who were there. The four Indians went looking for a Bible because their neighbors already had a Bible and a preacher.
This is a story of an amazing man, a Native minister, and an heir to the prophecy that God was going to send someone to teach them. [Narrator] Published in the newsletter, The Christian Advocate... it's the gripping story of the Nez Perce visiting Saint Louis, which was categorized as an urgent Macedonian call for Christian missionaries. It sent American Methodists on fire with missionary fervor to reach indigenous people in the Pacific Northwest.
The closing words from this 1833 article provide a glimpse of the enthusiasm for Native American mission that ensued in the subsequent months. This article closes with, "Let the church awake from her slumbers. Go forth in her strength to the salvation of these wandering sons of our native forests. We are citizens of this vast universe, and our life embraces not merely a moment, but eternity itself, and to bring them to the knowledge of the true God."
[Gene Bailey] Well, this was viewed as the Call for Macedonia from the Book of Acts 16:9, 10, and the church was on fire with the fervor of evangelism. But when the missionaries reached the Rocky Mountains, they found Christian Indians who were already having church with Native ministers. These guys were the original Circuit Riding Preachers. ♪ (typewriter sounds) Now, let me introduce you to this guy, Jedediah Smith. Now, Jedediah Smith, it was said he was half preacher, half grizzly.
He was never without his Bible or his gun. And his reading of the one never interfered with the use of the other. To get an idea of what kind of man he was, listen to this. [Narrator] On December 24th, 1829, Jedediah Smith wrote to his parents in Ohio. "I feel the need of the watch and care of a Christian church. Our society is of the roughest kind of men. Men of good morals seldom enter the business of this kind. I hope you will remember me before the throne of grace.
May God in his infinite mercy. Allow me soon to join my parents. It's the prayer of your dutiful son, Jedediah S. Smith. [Gene Bailey] To me, this letter really shows his heart." I love this brother. He was legendary, and he always had his Bible with him and never passed up an opportunity to share the Gospel. And Jedediah plays a part in our story today, so I wanted you to meet him first so you really know who he is.
It really was an amazing time in America when the church was blossoming and occupying the place of the city on a hill in the mission of the Native Americans was always first and foremost, because America was a frontier nation and the church had a history of Native missions. It was said on the frontier you could be charged by bears, bison and Baptist. The second Great Awakening was sweeping the country and the woods were full of circuit rider preachers.
But the story I want to tell you is why were the Indians of the Columbia Plateau, the Spokane and the Nez Perce, why were they so open to adopt Christianity? What was different about them? God called one of their own, a Native minister who was marvelously successful. This is an amazing and well documented, yet untold story and I have it for you today. Here on Revival Radio, we've told the story of how God gave a vision to Hawaiians and prepared them for the Gospel.
Similarly, God prepared the Native Americans of the Columbia Plateau the same way by providing a vision of what to expect when he revealed himself to them. This is a well-documented prophecy and at least three tribes received it. But the most complete record we have is the one to the Spokane people who lived near where the town of Spokane, Washington, is today. ♪ (Indian flute playing) [Narrator] There were three consecutive chiefs of the Spokane people.
The old chief Circling Raven and his son, Chief Illium Spokane which means twisted Earth. And finally, Slough-Keetcha. His English name was Spokane Garry, who was the heir of the prophecy. The prophecy came about like this. The old chief's circling Raven son had died, and when he was wracked with grief and cried out to God, "Why have you allowed this to happen?" The people were distressed. Hearing this, and so they said, "We need you to go find the answer.
Is God good or bad? Or should we serve him? So they sent him on a vision quest to find his answers. With little clothing or supplies he went up to the Spokane Mountain for three days, praying and fasting. He had a vision and God showed him what was to come and spoke to him and said, "Your son is okay and he's here and happy with me. You should have faith. Do not worry, this world will not go away until people with light flesh come and teach you what you need to know about me.
They will bring leaves with marks on them that are gathered together in a bundle." He saw a book in a vision. Do not kill these people, even if they harm you, for there is no use to it. This was all he saw, but it inspired the old chief. This was about the year 1780. He was excited and ran back to his people to tell them only on the way he felt it too strange to tell them everything. So when he got back to the camp, he told them everything was okay and God was good and cared for them.
But he kept some of the vision in his heart to ponder. (typewriter sounds) One day years later, when the chief was old, Mount Saint Helens blew. It was about 1800, and that was the last time interrupted until 1980. Needless to say, the tribe was scared. They thought the world was ending and they were running around screaming and crying, not sure what to do. The ash fall out, covered the sky and everything in sight for days. But amidst the chaos, the chief stood up and he spoke.
He told them the world wasn't ending and he told them why. He explained the rest of the vision God had given him so many years prior. The world couldn't be ending. The lighter colored people hadn't shown up with their bundles of leaves with writing on it. He encouraged them to clean up their homes and not to fear. "This is not the end of the world. Much more must come to pass before that time arrives. Let me tell you this. A strange people must come with a skin of a different shade.
Speaking another language and wearing different clothes will come to us before the world ends. They will bring with them teachers who will show us how to learn things with marks made on leaves bound together in a bundle. Until these people come, the world will continue. Let's get to work and clean up these ashes." Well, they did and the word of prophecy spread. And everyone was anticipating its fulfillment. Until one day a strange white man walked into the village with a Bible.
The Indians called him Kuku sent, which meant "the man who looks at stars" because he used celestial measurements to draw maps. And the Indians noticed he made marks on leaves he kept in a bundle. Of course, it was his journal. ♪ Christian Explorer Dave Thompson was originally from Wales. He was saved during a John Wesley's meeting when he was ten years old. His father had died, and because his family was poor, his mom sent him to a Christian school for orphans.
He excelled there, especially with mathematics. Eventually, he was recruited by the Hudson Bay Company as an apprentice surveyor and mapmaker. He was a genius and he loved the Lord with everything in him and took his Bible with him everywhere. He wound up mapping much of the West, including the Missouri River and one of his hand-drawn maps made it into the hands of Thomas Jefferson. Here's his map with Jefferson's own handwriting on it, which says, "This map belongs to Captain Lewis."
Dave Thompson spent a lot of time mapping using the stars with a sextant. The Indians and the French trappers thought he was consulting the stars to tell the future, that's why the Indians called him "the man who looks at stars". He was in the Spokane village in 1810 when Chief Illium Spokane saw that he was making notes in his journal, and he remembered the prophecy. Here was a white man with a bundle of leaves making marks on them.
The old chief asked him about the book, if it had information about the Great Spirit. "Well", Dave Thompson said, "that one didn't, but this one did", and he pulled out his Bible. Well, this really did get Chief Illium, Spokane excited and they started asking questions, which Dave attempted to answer as best as he could. The Spokane Indians called God. He made us, and he knew he was living in the time of the prophecy.
The next year his son Slough-Keetcha was born and as we will see, became the inheritor of the prophecy. ♪ Not long after, Mountain man Jedediah Smith showed up and he was more of a preacher than Dave Thompson. Jedediah was able to answer more questions the chief had. We learned the Indian name given for God, He made us. He taught them about his Son, He saved us. The Indians showed an eagerness to learn about God that was unexpected because God had already revealed himself to them.
[Narrator] The Chiefs of the white men always carry leaves bound together. Does it teach of the master of life? What is this Medicine? What? The Bible? Jedediah's heart beat a little harder. He had dreamed of sharing the gospel with the Indians. He had not necessarily expected them to ask. He picked up his Bible and showing it to the chief he said, "Look here. The Bible teaches of God. It says, "God sent to Earth his Son to show his love for us.
The God who made us sent his only Son, an express message to every nation." "Ah", replied the old chief. "He made us as a son?" Jed repeated, forming the unfamiliar name for God carefully. - Yes, He made us as a son. - Ah... The old chief leaned back, pondering these things. This was a new idea to the aging chief. Totally new. Yet, was it not God who had told them in advance to listen to the words of the white men? This was the kernel of the mystery foretold that God had a Son.
This was what they had been trying to discover since the days of Circling Raven. The light was dawning. The morning mists were receding as the sun shone in. Jedediah's eyes sparkled as he went on. He has a name too, the son of He-made-us. His name is Jesus. Jedidiah hung around looking for opportunities to share the news that He-made-us had a son. His name is He-saves-us. ♪ [Gene Bailey] It was happening.
The white men had shown up with their Bibles, and the chief was getting the answers he needed. The prophecy, it was being fulfilled. Now, that same year, Jedidiah Smith visited the Spokane village of Chief Illium. He had just been blessed with a baby boy who was named Slough-Keetcha. Whereas we don't know what his name really means. We know what he accomplished. He took the Gospel to not only his people, but every Indian tribe in the Colombian Plateau.
The second Great Awakening was going on back in England, amidst the missionary movement sparked by William Carey's book. But the Church Missionary Society instructed the Hudson Bay Company to build Christian schools, to teach the Native Americans and help spread the Gospel. Thus Slough-Keetcha, having grown up near a trading post owned and run by the Hudson Bay Company, learned about the world and God through them.
[Narrator] In 1825, George Simpson, the governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, called a meeting with the chiefs of the tribes at the company's trading post. Simpson told the Chiefs he wanted to send more Indian boys to be educated at the Red River Missionary School near present day Winnipeg, Canada. When the Chiefs heard it was to teach them about the Book of Heaven, as they now called it, they said, "You could have 100 sons in an hour, but bring them back while they are still Indians.
Do not turn them into white men." [Gene Bailey] The Chief's 14 year old son, Slough-Keetcha, was one of the first students and the Indian's sent him off with high expectations. The trappers named him Spokane Garry and they left on the long journey to Winnipeg, to the Red River Mission School, where he learned to read and write. And he was taught the Bible and how to teach it to his people.
[Narrator] The Red River Settlement and the Mission School was the charitable work, the Scottish Lord Selkirk, who was a devout Christian and close friend of William Wilberforce, the Christian minister of Parliament, who ended slavery. These men felt the Scottish Highlanders they sent would relate to the culture and lifestyle of Native Americans. The Highlanders had a similar tribal culture and had been evangelized by lone missionaries living among them.
[Gene Bailey] On a fun side note, since the teachers were Scottish, Spokane Garry learned to speak English with a heavy Scottish brogue that he had the rest of his life. This often took people back when they saw this fine looking tall Native American chief open his mouth and sound like a Scottish highlander. Here's a letter he wrote to his parents while at school. "My dear father and mother, I am very glad that I can write to you and that I can tell you that I am well.
Give my love to my uncle and to all my aunts. And I would thank you to send me a deer-skin. The trapper who you saw before takes this letter. Be good to the white people for they are good to us." Garry was in school for four years, and when he left the Red River Mission to go home, he became a preacher. And he found churches among the Indians. Before he left in 1830, he was given a King James Bible that he carried the rest of his life, and he preached out of it.
Today, it's in the museum in Spokane, Washington. One missionary wrote about Garry and his Bible. [Narrator] Their manners are mild and hospitable, manifesting a strong religious feeling, devout in all their forms of worship and strict in attending all their meetings of a religious character. They have a native school taught by one of their own young men who has received an education at Red River by the name of Spokane Garry.
They have a house devoted to religious meetings sufficiently large to contain all the persons of the village. Their worship is similar to that of the Nez Perce. Garry has a Bible from which he teaches the natives. ♪ [Gene Bailey] Garry was an instant successful preacher among the Indians. He preached not only to his tribe, but all of the tribes in the region.
Throngs would come and listen to him in wherever he preached, and he made an enormous difference in the lives of the tribes of the Columbia Plateau. Consequently, his family and many people in his band were well-versed in the Bible, even before the first Protestant missionaries ever arrived. Here's a quote from the Trapper's Journal. "He told us of a God up above", said Curly Jim, a fellow Spokane, "showed us a book, the Bible, from which he read to us.
He said to us, 'if we were good that when we die, we would go up above and see God.'" After Chief Garry started to teach them, the spoken Indians woke up. [Gene Bailey] Spokane Garry was spreading the Gospel and leading fellow Indians to the Lord for five years before any missionaries ever showed up. Even secular historians recognize the pivotal change that Garry made. Listen to this.
[Narrator] Into the religious vacuum of the Indians, the ideas expressed by Garry poured like a flood, and their adoption and spread was phenomenal. The anthropologist Leslie Spear, who had studied religious life of the Indians of the region, noted there was a remarkable spread of Christian practice among the tribes and determined that the revival must have spread from the Spokane country, about 1830 or a little later.
[Gene Bailey] By coincidence, the beginning of the close association between the Spokane and Nez Perce people and the American Christian fur trappers became significant about 1830, with a dramatic and remarkably influential introduction of Christian ideas among the home villages of those Indians. It worked abrupt and profound changes in the behavior of the Plateau tribes beginning in the winter of 1830.
So even secular historians agree that at the same time that Garry returned from a Red River Mission School, his ministry had a huge impact on his native company and it explains the context of why the four Indians went to Saint Louis to get their own Bibles and their own teachers. Because remember, Garry belonged to the Spokane tribe, and all the local tribes wanted their own teacher input.
This was the motivation of the four Nez Perce Indians that went to St Louis looking for their own teacher of the Bible. And this is the story that has been lost or ignored by modern historians. I want to say this too: Garry understood God wanted to provide for his children according to the Word of God.
Garry knew how to abound from the Word. It was said about him, "He lived in considerable comfort, keeping on hand supplies of tea, coffee, sugar and flour, commodities, which even some of the first white settlers in the vicinity did not always possess." There are many contemporary accounts of the Christian Indians. Listen to this by the Reverend Henry Spalding that later built a church among the Nez Perce that's still there and holds service every Sunday.
[Narrator] It is said they observed prayers night and morning and kept the Sabbath, will not move camp on the Sabbath unless they were with the white men and are obliged to. They are styled by the Northern men as Christian Indians. Captain Benjamin Bonneville was a famous explorer and contemporary witness. He camped with the Nez Perce in what is known as Boise, Idaho today. He wrote in his journal.
This is from Washington Irving's book and you may recognize the name Washington Irving was one of the most famous American authors of the 19th century. He wrote short stories such as Rip Van Winkle in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. But the point is this story is well documented. [Narrator] They are more like a nation of saints than a tribe of wild men. In fact, the friendly attitude of this tribe may have sprung from the doctrines of Christian charity.
Many a time was my little lodge thronged or rather piled with hearers, for they lay on the ground, one leaning over the other until there was not further room, all listening with greedy ears to the wonders which the Great Spirit had revealed in his Book of Heaven." [Gene Bailey] In a museum in Washington is Spokane Garry's Bible that his friend gave to the museum after he died, so that what God did to this amazing man would not be forgotten.
The words that Slough-Keetcha Spokane, Spokane Garry wrote in his Bible shows the tenderness of Garry's heart and his love for the Lord. [Narrator] "I am so glad that our Father in Heaven tells of His love in the Bible I see. This is the dearest to me that Jesus loves me. I am so glad that Jesus loves me. Jesus loves me. Jesus loves even me. If I forget Him and wander away, still He loves me wherever I stray. Back to the dear loving arms would I flee, when I remember that Jesus loves me."
♪ [Gene Bailey] If there ever was a "be the one" story, the Slough-Keetcha or Spokane Garry story is definitely one of the best. God bless you as we honor your service, my brother. But I think the most important thing we can learn from this story is that God had a plan to reach his Native American people and was succeeding right from the beginning. But all the tragic history, the exploitation and murder was caused by the evil in man's heart.
God's the only one who has the solution to not only change men's hearts, but redeem us from the curse that sin brought into the Earth. That's why we're here. And that's why we share these stories because there's only one answer, the answer is Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining me right here on Revival Radio TV. ♪