"Each Pomo tribe subsequently produced their own prophets, or Dreamers, who carried on and developed the Bole Maru religion in specific ways, with specific dances and rituals. . . . certain features new to Pomo religion and social organization emerged throughout Pomo territory" (66).
"The Dreamers stressed the afterlife and preached the Protestant work ethic and Puritan principles of cleanliness and abstinence. They forbade gambling and drinking. They insisted that women keep their bodies covered at all times, paticularly during ceremonial activities, in Victorian-style high necked dresses that covered the legs and upper arms" (66).
"Cora DuBois, an anthropologist who studied the Bole Maru in the 1930s, saw the movement as a significant revivalistic effort. Yet she seems to imply that in the long run it generally opened the door to further Christianization and the decline of Indian religion and ideology" (66).
"DuBois, like the settlers and missionaries before her, saw the Pomo Indians integrating Christian religion and Victorian ideology into their culture at the expense of their own identities and beliefs as Indians. Clearly, the Pomo could not afford to show how the blending of different religious and cultural ideals laid the foundation for a fierce Indian resistance" (67).
"from an Indian nationalist perspective, the assimilation of Victorian ideology looks very different. The ban on drinking, gambling, and adultery not only assured the continuance of individual tribes but also of given family lines within the same tribes. . . . while the Bole Maru was emergent in terms of its doctrine and social and religious structure, it simultaneously enhanced the resurgence and fortification of many pre-contact structures integral to Pomo life and ideology. In sum, it seems more likely from this prespective that the Pomo adopted what was useful in Victorian ideology and biblical religion" (67-68).
"An important feature of the Bole Maru tradition is the stipulation that dances, songs, and costumes brought about by the Dreamer must cease to be used with her death. . . . New or revived ceremonies must come only with a new Dreamer recognized by the entire tribe. This practice not only reinforces the unique characterisitics and manifestations of the Bole Maru in individual Pomo communities but also allows for a continuous reinvention of the tradition in those communties, always adapting the tradition and Indian identity to changing historical circumstances" (70).
"So she [Essie Parrish] did that film [The Sucking Doctor]--something never done before--for truth and protection. We who know the rules can heal ourselves with that" (64).
"she left us a tradition, something to keep thinking and talking about in our lives, something to carry through all time. But it's up to us to do it. And this is the next step. You see, we're sitting here talking about it, about prophecy, about the teachings. We're knowing who we are" (64).