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Prophets of the Great Spirit
Native American Revitalization Movements in Eastern North America
Alfred Cave (Author)
9781496247384
Paperback / softback, published 1 July 2026
344 pages, index
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.52 kg
"[Prophets of the Great Spirit] does a find job of describing prophet-led movements among the Delaware, Shawnee, Muskogee, Seneca, and Kickapoo peoples. . . . Cave's book arrives at an opportune time and provides a useful synthesis." —Joel W. Martin, Journal of American History "At multiple points in Prophets, Cave demonstrates his historiographical acumen. . . . Cave's treatments, though, of Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh's efforts is perhaps the book's most informative historiographical contribution. . . . Cave's is an admirable text. It is well researched and finely written. To be sure, then, Prophets of the Great Spirit is a highly serviceable and commendable introduction for any student of Native American revitalization movements, Native American history and regions, and early American history."—Brendan Q. Swagerty, Journal of Religion "Cave displays a thorough knowledge of current ethnohistorical approaches and literature. His research ranges widely and acknowledges and builds on ideas and approaches from other scholars. . . . He demonstrates the variety of prophetic approaches and tactics clearly, and, whenever possible, he succeeds in keeping the tribal societies and ideas directly at the center of the narrative."—Roger L. Nichols, Journal of the Early Republic
Prophets of the Great Spirit offers an in-depth look at the work of a diverse group of Native American visionaries who forged new, syncretic religious movements that provided their peoples with the ideological means to resist white domination. By blending ideas borrowed from Christianity with traditional beliefs, they transformed "high" gods or a distant and aloof creator into a powerful activist deity that came to be called the Great Spirit. These revitalization leaders sought to regain the favor of the Great Spirit through reforms within their societies and the inauguration of new ritual practices. Covering more than a century, from the early 1700s through the Kickapoo Indian removal of the Jacksonian era, the prophets of the Great Spirit sometimes preached armed resistance but more often used nonviolent strategies to resist white cultural domination. Some prophets rejected virtually all aspects of Euro-American culture. Others sought to assure the survival of their culture through selective adaptation. Alfred A. Cave explains the conditions giving rise to the millenarian movements in detail and skillfully illuminates the key histories, personalities, and legacies of the movement. Weaving an array of sources into a compelling narrative, he captures the diversity of these prophets and their commitment to the common goal of Native American survival.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Delaware Prophets
The Shawnee Prophets
Tenskwatawa, Tecumseh, and the Pan-Indian Movement
The Red Sticks
The Seneca Prophet
The Kickapoo Prophet
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index