Ghost Dance History

Though the Ghost Dancing ritual was stopped, the mark it left on history can never be

In 1973, Christopher Bruce heard about the murders going on in the small villages and towns of Chile on the orders of the government; just to show off their power, and how they were not afraid to use it. Bruce found out as a result of a letter received from a widow of a Chilean folk singer who had been murdered. He was asked to do work for the Chilean Human Rights Committee. The dance first premiered in 1988, the costume designer being Belinda Scarlett and the music being by Incantation, playing the song ‘Ojos Azules’ which is Spanish for ‘Blue Eyes’.

However the new calendar required a new approach so in order to help one understand the new basis of the calendar, there were pictures attached to each month to help an individual better understand and remember the new months and days (Document

Have you ever thought about a few of the ancient contributions that truly benefit our world today? Two of these inventions are the calendar and the stone columns. First of all, the calendar we use today is actually called the “Gregorian Calendar.” It was developed by Pope Gregory during the Middle Ages (Doc. 4). The Gregorian calendar is used to keep track of time or what day it is.

Chapter Six: Witch’s Calendar Wheel of the Year festivals represents the active and passive states of nature, man and cultivation. Each of the festival periods was ruled by a ruling deity, whether a God or Goddess, with each part having its own related deity. From sowing to reaping to winter to summer... the seasons were of vast importance to our ancestors, for their very survival rested on fruitful harvests, moderate winters, and adequate rainfall. Our days start at dusk on the preceding day.

Christianity entered into the area and saw the Ghost Dance as a threat to the message they were trying to spread. The government wanted Indians to become more ingrained into the white man’s culture, so because of this the Ghost Dance became illegal. The Native Americans tried to stress that the Ghost Dance help Christian elements. The Indian Office of the government did not see this though. Threats came to the Native Americans if they participated in anyway with the Ghost Dance.

The Ghost Dance was a religion or movement that combined Christianity and traditional Indian religion elements that served as a nonviolent form of resistance for Indians in the late nineteenth century. At the time, conditions were bad on Indian reservations and Native Americans needed something to give them hope or something to look forward too. So they created and turned to the Ghost Dance.

It is clear, that the Ghost Dance doctrines were all about peace and trying to cooperate with white settlers, it still ended with the Wounded Knee Massacre. Antecedents started in September of 1890, when the Ghost Dance interfered in the reservation daily routine: the dancers did not obey the Indian police or their agents (Andersson 46). It was shocking for the whites and agents alike that all of the authority collapsed, the agents words flouted and armed Indian police were not able to execute their orders (Maddra 46). The excitement grew in Sitting Bull’s camp, despite Sitting Bull was sceptical about the dance because he held to traditional beliefs and could not embrace a faith based on the teachings of Christianity (Maddra 34). By October

Back in 1889, Wovoka, a Paiute leader, encouraged his Indian tribes to try out the Ghost Dance to scare away the white people (Langley). Because the Apache kept on being forced to settle on the reservation, the Indian tribes and white settlers often fought (Langley). On a different subject, a great accomplishment in 1890 was the

The Ghost Dance was a tradition that originated in the late 1800’s, this dance was a spiritual movement performed by Native Americans on reservations who were in search of hope in a time of need; however the results weren’t what they expected.

The U.S government knew they had to do something about the Indians' Ghost Dance, so in December 29, the U.S sent out the 7th Cavalry of America,

The whites took over the lands, and forced Native Americans on reservations. Unfortunately, this really would destroy the Native Americans as a whole by the end of the 19th century, and into the 20th century. Native Americans turned to practices to lift their spirits. One of these practices was of the Ghost Dance that they performed together within their own tribes. “As the crowd gathered about the tree the high priest, or master of ceremonies, began his address, giving them directions as to the chant and other matters” (Parker). Parker was at times frightened of this dance, I believe. “After walking about a few times, chanting, "Father, I come," they stopped marching, but remained in the circle, and set up the most fearful, heart-piercing wails I ever heard-crying, moaning, groaning, and shrieking out their grief, and naming over their departed friends and relatives, at the same time taking up handfuls of dust at their feet, washing their hands in it, and throwing it over their heads” (Parker). They thought that this dance would assist them in being able to live freely and nomadically like they had done for thousands of years. The Ghost Dance was essential to help Native Americans overcome the way that whites were treating them, as they were treated horribly.

The Ghost Dance was a religious circle dance that’s meant “to bring hope” for the Indigenous people. They needed something to believe in because of the horrible conditions they were living in (poverty, hunger, and diseases) so they put their trust into Ghost dancing. It was said that performing the Ghost Dance ceremony would bring back their dead ancestors, return their plentiful buffalo herds and most importantly, eliminate the European settlers (Kerstetter, n.d.). The feeling of desolation spreading throughout the Native camps in the west made them grasp for any message of hope (Lesser, 2009).

All Indians must dance, everywhere, keep on dancing. Pretty soon in next spring Great Spirit come. He bring back all game of every kind…all dead Indians come back and live again. They all be strong just like young men, be young again. Old blind Indian see again and get young and have fine time. When Great Spirit comes this way, than all the Indians go to mountains, high up away from whites. Whites can't hurt Indians then. Then while Indians way up high, big flood like water and all white people die, get drowned! After that, water go way and then nobody but Indians everywhere and game all kinds thick… (Wovoka, The Paiute Messiah qtd. In Brown 416).

“It has often been said that the North American Indians ‘dance out’ their religions” (Vecsey 51). There were two very important dances for the Sioux tribe, the Sun Dance and the Ghost Dance. Both dances show the nature of Native American spirituality. The Ghost Dance and the Sun Dance were two very different dances, however both promote a sense of community.