The Ghost Dance :: essays research papers

The fantasm DanceIn January 1889, Wavoka, a Paiute Indian, had a revelation during a total eclipse of the sun. It was the genesis of a religious move manpowert that would become known as the Ghost Dance. It was this dance that the Indians believed would get together them with friends and relatives in the tactual sensation world. The legend states that after prayer and ceremony, the earth would rupture and let forth a great flood that would drown every(prenominal) the whites and enemy Indians, leaving the earth untouched and as it was before the settlers came to America. The piety prophesied the peaceful end of the westward expansion of whites and a return of the shoot down to the Native Americans. The firstly dance was held by Wovoka in 1889. The ritual lasted cardinal successive days, being danced each darkness and on the last night continuing until morning. Hypnotic trances and shaking accompanied this ceremony, which was supposed to be restate every six weeks. The cere mony also had rhythmic drumming and introduced umteen an(prenominal) new musical instruments into Indian religious ceremonies. In addition, both men and women participated in the dance, unlike other Indian religions in which men were the indigenous dancers, singers, and musicians.Word spread quickly and the Utes, Bannocks, and Shoshone tribes veritable the Ghost Dance. Eventually, the plains tribes also accepted the Ghost Dance movement. The peaceful message of hope was uplifting to many Indians. It gave them a sense of hope that the progress of the white man would be stopped by the will of Nature. While adopting the movement, many tribes added specific impost and rituals that reflected the tribes individuality. The Sioux, for instance, added two specific elements including the use of hypnosis to bring closely trances as well as aid in communication with the dead, and Ghost Clothing. There are two specific types most commonly used, the ghost shirt and the ghost dress. Both wer e believed to protect the wearer from bullets. Sitting Bull, a notable Sioux warrior, adopted the ghost dance into his way of life. He was a value leader, medicine man, and warrior. His following of the movement alarmed both the military and Indian Agencies. In 1890, just a few months after attending his first ghost dance, Sitting Bull was killed while resisting arrest. His pursual fled and joined propel Bull, one of the first to Practice with Wovoka. Donning their ghost shirts and with their beliefs firm in their hearts, the followers of the ghost dance were rounded up at Wounded stifle creek and killed while resisting arrest.