A Spiritual History of the Pacific Northwest

How a spirit of betrayal, poverty, and racism got founded in the land.

A few years ago the Lord started me down the road of learning some of the Spiritual history of the Pacific Northwest. This part of the world was once known as the Oregon Territory and now covers three states as well as parts of two more. The Lord lured me into researching this subject, partly through three dreams that he sent me and the people that he kept putting across my path. Each person had a story that was like a part of a puzzle to the bigger picture. 

  As I started to walk some of this out, the Lord would release another part of the puzzle when I was ready. More than once I have walked into a local library, and almost walked right up to the next book I needed to read. Although that may sound strange, it became normal for me.

  So this writing before you is a snapshot, a collection of stories of what happened. It’s not an exhaustive work, if it were, it would fill a book all to its own. 

The Children of the Son

  In 1775, a smallpox epidemic broke out in Boston. Within seven years the effects of its deadly hands had raced across the land, reaching the future Pacific Northwest regions. In that year of 1782, most inland tribal groups that had never seen a white man were now fighting the effects of a disease that raced like wildfire across a defenseless continent.

 The Spokane tribe of the Inland Northwest, like many others, watched the effects of this hidden enemy systematically reduce the tribe from the rough estimates of around 3,000-1,400 people to as low as 1,000-700 people. God, however, decided to use this horrible event to bring a seed of grace to the region.

  Unlike many of the other tribes, the Spokanes had a monotheistic view. To them, God was the creator of all and there was no other god. There were many spirits in the world, but only one God and they had no name for Him other than the Creator. God used this foundational understanding of Himself to reach a region for Himself in the future. In fact, some historical records say that the name of their tribe means, “The Children of the sun.” This to me is a prophetic promise of their destiny of how the Lord would use them in the future as “Children of the Son of God.”

Leaves of Life

 That winter had been tough, and people of all ages were pitifully falling from this smallpox outbreak. The spiritual leader of the tribe, “Yurareechen,” also known as Circling Raven, was grieving for his son who had just died. Distraught and inconsolable, Circling Raven started tearing through the village, destroying anything his hands could find. Finally, the chief, who was also very distraught got him to sit down. After a little while the chief recommended that he travel up to Mount Spokane some twenty-five miles away to seek the Creator, and see if He would speak about this evil that had fallen on the tribe.

 According to legend, Circling Raven spent several hungry days in a cave on Mount Spokane, waiting for a word. Suddenly, in an experience similar to Acts 9, a blinding light came that morning with a voice. The Voice counseled him to move to the edge of the cave and look toward his village. 

 The Voice of the Creator said, “Look down the mountain into the future of your people.”

  In a vision he saw his village, everything was fine; children playing, dogs running, people laughing, and no sign of sickness. Then he saw something he had never seen before, light-skinned men in black robes. They maneuvered their canoe to the bank of the village. 

 He looked closer to see that one of these men was in possession of a bundle of leaves bound in leather. As the man opened it Circling Raven could see the leaves contained marks on them. 

  Then the Creator said, “Pay close attention to those marks, for they tell of me.” This became known as the “leaves of life” prophecy. (1)(2)

 A few years later in 1790, the tribe faced another critical moment. Mount Saint Helen’s erupted, covering much of the Spokane’s tribal area in ash and making it hard for people to breathe. The people called out that it was the end of the world and they were about to die. Circling Raven now had a choice before him, to talk or not to talk. Until this point, he had only told his people part of the prophecy. 

 He raised his head and said, “This is not the end of the world. Much more must come to pass before that time comes.” Then he told them of more strange white people who must come. 

 “They will bring with them teachers who will show us how to learn things from marks made on leaves bound together in a bundle. Until these people come the world will continue.”

 Then he finished with this, “After the white men with the Leaves of Life come, other white men will come who will make slaves of us. We will simply be overrun by the white men as though by grasshoppers. When this happens, we should not fight, as it would only create unnecessary bloodshed.” (1)(2)

 The authoritative way in which he delivered his speech calmed everyone down. And then a few days later Circling Raven died. (3)

A Transition in Leadership

 A few years later in 1811, Chief Illim-Spokanee, in his old age, became the father of one of the future leaders of the Spokane tribe. Naming him Slough-Keetcha, this child would play a pivotal role in the Oregon territory. (5)

 The young boy and his father spent their years hanging around the trading post set up by Finan McDonald of the North West Company. The Chief did so in the hopes of hearing more from the white men about the Creator. He had a heart for knowing all he could, but the white traders told very little. The Chief passed on to his son this desire to know more.

To continue this article please click here.  A Spiritual History of the Pacific Northwest