They should stop drinking alcohol, which Tenskwatawa described as a poison sent by evil spirits to destroy Native peoples.

They should stop wearing European clothing and using European goods.

They should return to traditional practices and traditional foods.

They should refuse to intermarry with white people.

This was a religious revitalization movement — the kind of movement that appears, in various forms, in many Indigenous cultures in response to the catastrophic disruptions of colonialism.

The specific content varied by culture, but the general pattern was consistent: a vision of spiritual renewal that combined religious practice with political resistance, offering an explanation for why the people were suffering and a path toward renewal.

Tenskwatawa’s movement spread rapidly across the Great Lakes region, attracting followers from many different Native nations.