Investigating every indian uprising from pontiac to the 1980s, every indian resistance to aggression, every incident of importance, mooney discovered a cultural pattern. When it became apparent that ghost shirts did not protect from bullets and the expected resurrection did not happen, most former believers quit the ghost dance. Instead of bringing the answer to their prayers, however, the ghost dance movement resulted in yet. The ghost dance a promise of fulfillment legends of. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. The ghost dance and the wounded knee massacre digital history id 702. Although the book is nonfiction, if you are interested in this book is a ethnography of the ghost dance religion in the american west.
Ghost dance religion article about ghost dance religion. Although never completely removed from the publics consciousness, the ghost dance religion and the wounded knee massacre received renewed interest during the modern civil rights movement and the takeover of wounded knee, south dakota, by members of the american indian movement in 1973. The ghost dance war ended when sioux leader kicking bear surrendered. According to james mooney, who had witnessed, photographed, and written in. Bury my heart at wounded knee summary and analysis chapter 18. It is a valuable asset to the understanding of what transpired at wounded knee as well as native ethnology and ceremonial aspects of the ghost dance religion. Admitting that the indians had been generally overpowered by the whites, what led the indians to think they. Thus began a religious awakening among the tribes of north america. The ghost dance and the wounded knee massacre of 1890. In an attempt to suppress this new faith, the us army killed over two hundred lakota sioux at wounded. Beginning among the paiute indians of nevada in 1870, the ghost dance promised to restore the way of life of their ancestors. A minneconjou who had a vision of christ in nevada and began the ghost dance religion.
In only ten years, the indian population reached a low of 250,000 people. During his stop in saint paul, the general spoke with reporters and speculated on the ori. This massacre resulted in the ghost dance ceremonies dying out among the lakotas, but elsewhere in the plain, the acts continued. In the 1970s, leonard crow dog revived the practice as part of the red power movement. The ghost dance was banned among the sioux, but it was still went on in the badlands that were far from the agents. During the 1970s, leonard crow dog, an oglala lakota holy man affiliated with the american indian movement, revived the ghost dance as part of the red. The violence at wounded knee was rooted in the federal governments reaction to the ghost dance movement, in which a religious ritual centered around dancing became a potent symbol of defiance to white rule.
The ghost dance religion and wounded knee james mooney immediately following the massacre of wounded knee december 29, 1890, the wellknown anthropologist james mooney, under the auspices of the bureau of american ethnology and the smithsonian. This movement found its origin in a paiute indian named wovoka, who announced that he was the messiah come to earth to prepare the indians for their salvation the paiute tradition that led to the ghost. Jun 15, 2019 two weeks later, the confrontations prompted by the ghost dance crackdown led to the infamous wounded knee massacre. The horrific bloodshed at wounded knee marked the end of the plains indian wars. Kobalt music publishing, umpi, and 5 music rights societies. The ghost dance religion sputtered out, with wovoka himself begging his people to follow the only trail now openthe white mans road. Study 36 terms ghost dance at wounded knee flashcards. The massacre termed as the wounded knee happened in 1890 was referred to have taken place by the army of the u. The sioux variation on the ghost dance tended towards millenarianism, an innovation that distinguished the sioux interpretation from jack wilsons.
The ghost dance is chiefly significant because it was a central feature among the sioux just prior to the massacre of hundreds of sioux at wounded knee, s. A distorted interpretation of his beliefs and teachings was a contributing factor in the events leading to the wounded knee massacre in late december of 1890. Arrival of the ghost dance called the ghost dance by the white soldiers who observed the new practice, it spread rapidly across the continent. The ghost dance was a religion in which people would dance for what they believed in. The ghost dance died out among the lakotas after wounded knee, but it survived elsewhere in the plains.
In the chicago tribune, masse hadjo, a member of the sioux, defended the ghost dance religion. The ghost dance was legalize but not for several years. Chinese immigrants and mexican americans in the age of westward expansion. The group, on the cheyenne river reservation in central south dakota, was made up mostly of widows and relatives of dead warriors who hoped to bring the men back. His interest was primarily in the indian background to the uprising. The ghost dance, a messianic native american religious movement, originated in nevada around 1870, faded, reemerged in its bestknown form in the winter of 188889, then spread rapidly through much of the great plains, where hundreds of adherents died in the 1890 wounded knee massacre.
Sep 02, 2015 at the wounded knee massacre in 1890, the u. Great plains, where hundreds of adherents died in the 1890 wounded knee massacre. The ghost dance was associated with wovokas prophecy to end the white mans expansion out west. The most significant of these was the ghost dance, pioneered by wovoka, a shaman of the northern paiute tribe. These native americans were murdered just for dancing. The ghostdance religion and wounded knee native american. After the killing of lakota people by soldiers at wounded knee, lakota created the ghost dance religion to express their sorrow. Ghost dance and wounded knee massacre 1890 the ghost dance, a religious movement prophesying the coming of a native american paradise, spread rapidly among tribes in the late 19th century.
The ghost dance preached peaceful coexistence with euroamericans, but the sioux interpretation of the religion foretold that the ghost dance would remove. The ghost dance, a messianic native american religious movement. As the ghost dance spread to indian reservations throughout the west, the federal government began to regard it as a major threat and sought to suppress it. Click download or read online button to get the ghost dance religion and wounded knee book now. The ghost dance was associated with wovokas prophecy to. The ghostdance religion and wounded knee by james mooney. The ghost dance reached its peak just before the wounded knee massacre in 1890. But widespread criminalization of peaceful religious worship had led to decades of arrests and suffering. Ghost dance, amerindian rebellion and religious ritual. Wounded knee had come to serve as a kind of bookend for indian history. The stager of wild west show in which sitting bull performed. Miles passed through saint paul, minnesota, after a tour of indian reservations in utah, montana, and wyoming.
Sitting bull led the lakota at wounded knee, and he also spread the ghost dance. The ghost dance religion remains a powerful text today, easily the most fascinating, thorough and engaging ethnography i have ever read and i majored in anthropology. The ghost dance and the massacre at wounded knee fits the theme of turning point in history because it marks the death of a dream for the sioux people. It was continued in several isolated places, but the expectation of the imminent return of the dead and of traditional culture was minimized. The ghostdance religion and wounded knee book, 1991. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc. This outbreak culminated in the massacre at wounded knee, south dakota, where the ghost shirts failed to protect the wearers, as promised by wovoka. In 1973, the american rock band redbone, formed by native americans patrick and lolly vasquez, released the song, we were all wounded at wounded knee.
In fact, its followers sought to thrive in america by working for wages, farming, and educating their children, tenets that helped the religion endure for decades after wounded knee. According to the teachings of the northern paiute spiritual leader wovoka renamed jack wilson, proper practice of the dance would reunite the living with spirits of the dead, bring the spirits to fight on their behalf, make the. Immediately following the massacre of wounded knee december 29, 1890, the wellknown anthropologist james mooney, under the auspices of the bureau of american ethnology and the smithsonian. Immediately following the massacre of wounded knee december 29, 1890, the wellknown anthropologist james mooney, under the auspices of the bureau of american ethnology and the smithsonian, investigated the incident. But efforts to suppress the ghost dance religion had the opposite effect. Ghost dance religion article about ghost dance religion by. The lakotas had no use of the ghost dance because they couldnt get the ghost shirts or ghost dances to work but agents banned the ghost dance on the lakota reservations because the ghost dance promised some sort of violence to. But for the most part, its tenets were the same as those of any christian church. The song american ghost dance by the red hot chili peppers makes extensive reference to the massacre as well.
The ghostdance religion and wounded knee james mooney immediately following the massacre of wounded knee december 29, 1890, the wellknown anthropologist james mooney, under the auspices of the bureau of american ethnology and the smithsonian. The ghost dance religion and wounded knee native american mooney, james on. More than 80 years after the massacre, beginning on february 27, 1973, wounded knee was the site of the wounded knee incident, a 71day standoff between militants of the american indian movementwho had chosen the site for its symbolic valueand federal law enforcement officials. The ghost dance war was an armed conflict in the united states between the lakota sioux and the united states government from 1890 until 1891. The ghost dance natdia is a spiritual movement that came about in the late 1880s when conditions were bad on indian reservations and native americans needed something to give them hope.
How was the tragedy at wounded knee related to the ghost. Youre in what seems like the middle of nowhere the flat, empty paiute territory in northwestern nevada in the dead of winter, after an unusually heavy snowfall. The definitive account of the ghost dance religion, which led to the infamous massacre at wounded knee in 1890 winner of the bancroft prize in american history in 1890, on indian reservations across the west, followers of a new religion danced in circles until they collapsed into trances. During the events that followed, now known as the wounded knee massacre on december 29, 1890, 457 u. Jul 06, 2017 to this day, the pain of wounded knee is still deeply felt within the pine ridge community and by descendants of the victims. The wounded knee massacre was not the end of the ghost dance religious movement. The ghost dance religion and wounded knee download ebook. Perhaps the bestknown facet of the ghost dance movement is the role it reportedly played in instigating the wounded knee massacre in 1890, which resulted in the deaths of at least 153 lakota sioux. Kiowa ghost dance forbidden dance gourd dance red wolf songs duration. The wounded knee massacre was the final blow to the indians as this ended the four hundred year conflict between the whites and the natives. Keywordsghost dance religion oklahoma american indian spiritual movement wovoka jack wilson round dance wounded knee religion ghost dance. Two weeks later, the confrontations prompted by the ghost dance crackdown led to the infamous wounded knee massacre. The ghostdance religion and wounded knee james mooney.
Chief big foots band, destined for the tragic encounter with the u. Ghost dance the encyclopedia of oklahoma history and culture. You say, if the united states army would kill a thousand or so of the dancing indians there would be no more trouble. The ghost dance movement was effectively ended, though it continued as a religious ritual in some places well into the 20th century. Most stories about the ghost dance end here and actually, in most of our survey classes, the ghost dance and wounded knee is where we stop teaching native american history.
The ghostdance religion and wounded knee by james mooney 2011, paperback, new edition at the best online prices at ebay. Wounded knee massacre really caused by the ghost dance religion. The ghost dance remains mischaracterized as a primitive effort to resist american conquest and return to traditional ways. Native americans bury my heart at wounded knee artist javier estrada. The ghost dance a promise of fulfillment legends of america.
Study 36 terms ghost dance at wounded knee flashcards quizlet. The indian story of wounded knee xiv close of the outbreak the ghost dance in the south xv the ceremony of the ghost dance among the northern cheyenne among the sioux song rehersals preparations for the dance giving the feather the painting of the dancers the ceremony the crow dance the hypnotic process the area. Beginning in the 1870s, a religious movement known as the ghost dance arose among indians of the great basin, and then spread, in the late 1880s, to the great plains. Based on a personal vision, wovoka created the ghost dance religion of the late 1880s. Followers of the ghost dance movement believed that their religion made them impervious to bullets. The stain of the wounded knee massacre remains on the army and the u. The wounded knee massacre marked the last major armed conflict between the united states and the plains indians. The ghost dance religion and wounded knee native american. The ghostdance religion and wounded knee native american james mooney on. Government sparked a tragedy sioux tribespeople taking part in the ghost dance, 1890, drawn by frederic remington based on sketches from pine ridge, south dakota.
Their description should include history of the ghost dance religion, rituals of the ghost dance, factors in the rise of the ghost dance among the sioux in the 1800s, and the influence of the ghost dance on the events leading up to the wounded knee conflict. As conditions changed, the second ghost dance became obsolete, though it continued into the 20th century in attenuated form among a few tribes. Jul 20, 2009 native americans bury my heart at wounded knee licensed to youtube by empire on behalf of finesse records. Armys 7th cavalry surrounded a band of ghost dancers under big foot, a lakota sioux chief, near wounded knee creek and demanded they surrender their weapons. Nanissaanah, also called the ghost dance of 1890 was a new religious movement incorporated into numerous native american belief systems. In this 1896 ethnography, mooney does a good job tracing indian messianic movements from 1762 to the ghost dance of the late 1880s and the eventual battle of wounded knee in 1890. The sioux, wearing shirts called ghost shirts, believed they would be protected from the soldiers bullets. A fter wounded knee, the ghost dance was widely criminalized, and forced underground. It involved the wounded knee massacre wherein the 7th cavalry massacred around 300 unarmed lakota sioux, primarily women, children, and elders, at wounded knee on december 29, 1890.
Ghost dance and wounded knee massacre, 1890 records of. Groups of lakota left reservations after the banning of the ghost dance, and soldiers killed many of them at wounded knee. With the suddenness of its birth, ghost dance disappeared. Xiii the sioux outbreaksitting bull and wounded knee appendix. To this day, the pain of wounded knee is still deeply felt within the pine ridge community and by descendants of the victims. It was a terrific event that was really challenged by the american community, the natives. Congress formally apologized a century later for the injustice of the massacre. The wounded knee really marked the end of the ghost dance religion in the 19th century, after the religion was made illegal. As that was happening, a fight broke out between an indian and a u.
Ask students to write a onepage description of the ghost dance. The wounded knee massacre put an end to the ghost dance as a widespread phenomenon. The indian wars and the battle of the little bighorn. Ghost dance religion and the wounded knee massacre essay. Apr 02, 2018 jeffrey ostler, in his 2004 the plains sioux and u. Colonialism from lewis and clark to wounded knee, argued that wovokas injunctions on right living were primarily strategic and instrumental in nature, designed to avert government repression long enough for ghost dance practitioners to bring on the cataclysmic apocalypse through.
The ghostdance religion and wounded knee native american kindle edition by mooney, james. A dakota sioux community in canada, for instance, practiced the ghost dance into the 1960s. Though the sioux performed the ghost dance in peace, according to its christian intent, the military refused to accept it as a valid demonstration of religious protest. By the end of 1890, ghost dance had become ubiquitous among the sioux. A latenineteenthcentury american indian spiritual movement, the ghost dance began in nevada in 1889 when a paiute named wovoka also known as jack wilson prophesied the extinction of white people and the. Cavalry at wounded knee creek, was active in the new religion.