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] 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] Eleven congregations grew out of the original church, with locations in Memphis, Little Rock, and Pensacola.
[3] 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.