Mother Leafy Anderson (1887–1927) was an American spiritualist, who was born in Wisconsin in the 19th century. [1] She was a Spiritualist who claimed her mediumship included contact with the spirit of the Native American war chief Black Hawk, who had lived in Illinois and Wisconsin, Anderson's home state. [1] [2]
Anderson was the founder of the Spiritual Church Movement in New Orleans, Louisiana in the 1920s, a loose confederation of churches largely based in the African American community. [1] [2] The church she founded in New Orleans featured traditional "Spirit Guides" in worship services, with a mixture of Protestant and Catholic Christian iconography, [2] as well as special services and hymns intended to honor the spirit of the Sauk leader Black Hawk. [1]
After Anderson's death, her successor, Mother Catherine Seals, then led the church, The Temple of the Innocent Blood, until her death, at which point it fractured, [1] giving rise to a multiplicity of Spiritualist denominations in New Orleans and elsewhere.
These denominations, along with a number of similar but independent Spiritualist churches across America, are known today as the "Spiritual Church Movement." [2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Jason Berry (1995). The Spirit of Blackhawk: a Mystery of Africans and Indians. University Press of Mississippi.
- ^ a b c d Jacobs, Claude F.; Kaslow, Andrew J. (1991). The Spiritual Churches of New Orleans Origins, Beliefs, and Rituals of an African-American Religion. The University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1-57233-148-8.
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