THE GHOST DANCE

Native Americans

Historical backgroundWovokaPaiute peopleGhost Dance

Ghost Dance

HISTORY

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The Ghost Dance, a

messianic Native American

religious movement,

originated in Nevada

around 1870,

faded, reemerged in its

best known from in the

winter of 1888-89,

then spread rapidly

through much of the Great

Plains

THE FIRST GHOST DANCER

In 1869 or 1870 Taivo, a Northern Paiute and fi rst Ghost Dance prophet preached that white people would disappear from the earth and dead Indians would return to enjoy utopian life.

JACK WILSON

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WovokaPaiute Indian 1858 in Mason Valley, in NevadaHis father was the first prophet, TavioShamans and medicine menfamous for his ability to hear voices and see visionsWovoka went to work on a farm owned by a white man, David Wilsonlearned about Christianity

His ability was to control the weather. He was said to have caused a block of ice to fall out of the sky on a summer day, to be able to end drought with rain or snow, to light his pipe with the sun, and to form icicles in his hands.

PAIUTE TRIBE

lived in the Mason Valley, in Nevada, California, Idaho, Oregon, Arizona and Utah fish, pine nuts, wild game and roots such as Cyperus esculentus

Wovoka & the Ghost Dance

VISIONmid-1880s Wovoka started to hear voices from heaven and fall unconscious on the groundwas in the heavenJanuary 1, 1889 solar eclipse met with God and people who had died a long time agodance and new instructions for life

THE DANCE

ritual formincludes a circular community dance held around an individual who leads the ceremonyJack Wilson taught ceremonial songs and dances to resurrect dead Indians

New life

a beautiful land

must work

not steal or lie

not fight

live in peace with everybody

People must love each other

CHRISTIANITY

bring back to life all the dead Indians and restore the old ways of lifespread widely among the Indians in the Great Basin area.

THE CEREMONY

vestments = ghost shirts songs brought by the emissarieswhite muslin shirts, decorated with a variety of symbols protected them from danger, including bullets

THE GHOST DANCE & THE GOVERNMENT

The government was frightened of the ghost dance’s spiritual power. The white neighbors and reservation officials viewed the movement as a threat to US Indian policy and believed the ceremonies and ghost shirts indicated that they intended to start a war. Reservation officials called on the US government to stop the dancing.

WOUNDED KNEEThe Ghost Dance died out among the Lakota people after the Wounded Knee, but it survived elsewhere in the Plains. In my point of view, I don’t have to speak about the Wounded Knee, because you know everything about that.

Importatnt to know

Ghost Dance associated with Wovoka

Came from vision

Doctrines of Christianity

Ritual form

Circular community dance

Songs, ghost shirts

Government was frightened of the ghost dance’s spiritual power