ABSTRACT
The Shaker prophet, John Slocum (Squ-sacht-un), worked as a logger and was fond of drinking, gambling, and horse racing. Anthropologist Erna Gunther describes him as a member of the Skokomish nation in the Pacific Northwest, while historians Robert H.Ruby and John A.Brown state that he was from the Sahewamish nation. After an illness in 1881, John Slocum was considered dead by his relatives who had set out to fetch a coffin. Slocum came back to life and surprised his family with revelations and warnings about the afterlife. He said that he went to heaven where he could not get in the Heavenly Gates because he had not been a good Christian.
