The Ghost Dance Movement | Native American Culture | Wounded Knee Massacre

The Ghost Dance Movement The ghost dance was a spiritual movement that arose among Native Americans living in the west of the country. It began among the Paiute people in 1869 with a series of visions from an elder medicine man named Wodziwop. These visions foresaw renewal of the earth and help for the Paiute people as promised by their ancestors. Initially Wodziwop said that he saw some great cataclysm removing all the settlers, leaving behind only natives. But in later visions he saw an event that removed all people from the continent, after which those who faithfully practiced the spirituality of their ancestors would be miraculously returned. Later still, his vision no longer predicted the destruction of settlers, but an immortal and peaceful life for those who practiced his spiritual teachings. A ceremony that featured a communal circle dance was central to the ghost dance suggested by those visions. Wodziwop passed away in 1872. On January 1st, 1889, a Paiute named Wovoka, renamed Jack Wilson, had a dream during the eclipse of the sun. He had a vision of dying, speaking with God in heaven, and being told to teach the new dance to the people. His prophecy was similar to that of Wodziwop. He said that he saw the settlers leaving or disappearing, the buffalo returning, and the land restored to native people all across the continent. In this vision, ancestors would be brought back to life and all would live in peace. Wovoka's father Tavebo had befriended and assisted Wodziwop during his life. After Tavebo's death, Wovoka had been raised by the American family of David Wilson. Hearing of the new prophet among the Paiute, representatives from many different tribes traveled to speak with him. Letters were sent by leaders of the movement to other native peoples and tribes to explain the vision and ceremony that would help bring about the transformation of the earth. Leaders of the movement also visited various native tribes to help teach them about the vision and the dance. Wovoka's teachings emphasized maintaining a peaceful relationship with the settlers. Growing up, he had some exposure to Christianity, so it is not surprising that there are mentions of Jesus or a messiah in his teachings. He stated that by practicing the ghost dance, his vision of a peaceful world would become reality. Wovoka described the dance to his followers. When you get home, you must begin a dance and continue for five days. Dance for four successive nights and on the last night continue dancing until the morning of the fifth day when all must bathe in the river and then return to their homes. You must all do this in the same way. I want you to dance every six weeks. Make a feast at the dance and have food that everybody may eat. Gathering around, the Native Americans wore clothing of eagle feathers, claws, horns, called the ghost shirts. These tribal attires were thought to protect the natives from bullets. Then the medicine men and prophets addressed the crowd by reminding them of the message and guiding them through the process of the ceremony, including the direction of the dance, the chant, and the formation of the circle. Ghost dance medicine men singers stood in the middle, sometimes around a sacred pole, while participants held hands and danced around in a circle with a shuffling side-to-side step, swaying to the rhythm of the songs they sang. As the people danced, it was common that some dancers fell into a trance distancing themselves from the circle. Some would even fall down unconscious. The ghost dance could have hundreds, even thousands of participants. The Bureau of Indian Affairs agents grew disturbed when they became aware that so many natives were coming together and participating in a new and unknown event. In early October of 1890, Kicking Bear, a Lakota Sioux, visited Sitting Bull at Standing Rock, telling him of his visit to Wovoka. He told him of the great number of other natives who were there as well, revering to Wovoka as the messiah. And he told him of the prophecy that the next spring, when the grass was high, the earth would be covered with new soil and bury all the white men. The new soil would be covered with sweet grass, running water and trees, and the great herds of All natives who danced the ghost dance would be taken up into the air and suspended there while the new earth was being laid down. Then they would be returned to the earth along with the ghosts of their ancestors. As the dance spread to the Lakota Sioux, the Bureau of Indian Affairs agents became alarmed. They claimed that the Lakota developed a militaristic approach to the dance and began making ghost shirts they thought would protect them from bullets. The natives also spoke openly about why they were dancing. The agent in charge of the Lakota eventually sent the tribal police to arrest Sitting Bull and to force him to stop the dance. In the struggle that followed, Sitting Bull was killed, along with a number of policemen. Following the killing of Sitting Bull, the United States sent the army to disarm the Lakota Sioux. During the events that followed, now known as the Wounded Knee Massacre, on December 29, 1890, 457 U.S. soldiers opened fire upon the Lakota Sioux, killing more than 200 of them. 25 policemen were also killed. The ghost dance reached its peak just before the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890. 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. Wovoka, disturbed by the death threats and disappointed with the many reinterpretations of his vision, gave up his public speaking. However, he remained well respected among his followers and continued his religious activities. He traveled and received visitors until the end of his life in 1932. After the Wounded Knee Massacre, during 1891 and 1892, the ghost dance spread to the Pawnee, Otoe, Missouri, Iowa, Osage, and Quapaw. Each tribe composed its own songs and adapted the dance in accordance with participants' own visions, reviving old-time clothing, weapons, dances, and hand games. On the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Thomas J. Morgan visited Oklahoma Territory and, seeing no signs of violence as the result of ghost dance, made no attempt to prohibit it. The ghost dance continued uninterrupted in Oklahoma until at least 1914. Other movements and dances such as the Sundance, Bear Dance, Peyote Religion, and Native American Church share aspects of the ghost dance movement, such as foretelling a better time and guiding natives to a better life. There are still members of this religious movement today. The ghost dance movement continues to be a symbol for Native Americans to attempt in preserving their heritage. Thank you for watching. If you liked the content, please consider subscribing, sharing the video, and supporting the channel on Patreon. We also launched our merch, so make sure to check it out. The link is in the description.