When the earth shakes: the Cherokee prophecies of 1811-12. From: The American Indian Quarterly | Date: June 22, 1993| Author: Pesantubbee, Michelene E. | COPYRIGHT 1993 University of Nebraska Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

The Cherokee prophecies of 1811-1812 involved three distinct events without a unifying theme. Although the prophecies have been referred to as a ghost dance movement, the characteristic belief in the return of the dead was absent. The original event was a nativist vision, followed by a father's vision of healing for his sick children, which combined traditional beliefs about healing with some nativistic elements. In 1812, after a comet and some earthquakes had occurred, the visions became mor...