Hittmans wovoka and the ghost dance, although lacking in its address of the political factors that ended the 1890 ghost dance religion, is a powerfully successful work in its attempt to understand the motivating factors that led to wovoka s great revelation, and how the revelation was administered to his followers. The song lyrics expressed the desire to see those who had died. Wovoka, the ghost dance, and wounded knee christian forums. James mooney, an ethnologist with the bureau of american ethnology, was sent to investigate the ghost dance movement in 1891. The ghost dance a promise of fulfillment legends of. The ghost dance was first practiced by the nevada northern paiute in 1889. Jack wilson 18561932 was a paiute mystic responsible for the revival of the ghost dance in 1890. Wovoka 1856 1932, also known as jack wilson, was a northern paiute medicine man who founded the ghost dance movement. Wovoka 18561932, also known as jack wilson, was a northern paiute religious leader and founder of the ghost dance movement. Wovoka and the ghost dance the religious fervor known as the ghost dance movement was precipitated by the prophecies and teachings of a northern paiute indian named wovoka jack wilson. Ghost dance, either of two distinct cults in a complex of late 19thcentury religious. He obtained a copy of wovoka s message from a cheyenne named black short nose, who had been part of a joint cheyennearapaho delegation that visited wovoka. The ghost dance movement was born from a vision of the paiute prophet, wovoka.
Part one describes the four major primary sources used to compile the biography, as well as the life of wovoka and his personality 5. Few people have had a more profound effect on native american history as wovoka, yet his story has nearly been lost to time. The ghost dance was a new religion, begun by the paiute wovoka, that swept the plains and scared the american authorities. Finally, the weaknesses of wovoka and the ghost dance will be addressed.
Wovoka indian messiah abebooks shop for books, art. The ghost dance timeline 1856 wovoka, a paiute indian, was born in western nevada. He is better known in nevada history as jack wilson. Wovoka and the ghost dance expanded edition by michael. Wovoka promised that a new era would be ushered in through. Wovoka, native american indian religious leader who spawned the second messianic ghost dance cult, which spread rapidly through reservation communities about 1890. A chronology of events during the lakota ghost dance period. The religion prophesied the peaceful end of the westward expansion of whites and a return of the land to the native americans. Mooney photographs of the ghost dance featuring wovokathe. Known as the messiah to his followers, wovoka was the paiute mystic whose religious pronouncements spread the ghost dance among many tribes across the american west. Paiute native american shaman wovoka and the ghost dance. Wovoka was born in the smith valley area southeast of carson city, nevada, around 1856. Wovoka, 18561932, who was also known as jack wilson. Both of wovoka s parents survived into the twentieth century.
Few people, either native or white, could have imagined the tragedy which would arise from this new. The ghostdance religion and wounded knee native american james mooney on. The ghost dance 1 was a new religious movement incorporated into numerous native. Wovoka was born about 1856 in smith valley or mason valley, nevada, as one of four sons of tavid, also known as numotibos, a wellknown medicine man. Indians from many tribes traveled to learn from wovoka, whose selfinflicted. Wovoka married a young northern paiute woman who bore the tribal name tuuma, a word that denotes a woven basket used for cooking pine nuts. Wovoka was a man of power, wrote historian michael hittman in his 1989 book wovoka and the ghost dance. Born in western nevada, he took on the name of the white rancher, david wilson, on whose lands he lived during his youth. True joseph gliddens invention of barbed wire in 1873 helped protect the cotton fields of nebraska. He encouraged native americans to perform a dance, called. Hittman began studying the yerington paiute tribe of nevada in 1965, and the source book, completed twentyfive years later, is an extraordinary compilation over 300 pages of commentary and sources, including original manuscripts by personal acquaintances of wovoka, photographs, newspaper accounts, government letters and reports, ghost dance.
Wovoka taught that in order to bring this vision to pass the native americans must live righteously and perform a traditional round dance, known as the ghost dance, in a series of fiveday gatherings. Wovoka s message spread quickly to other native american peoples and soon many of them were fully dedicated to the movement. Wovoka and the ghost dance expanded edition is structured into three parts with endnotes for each chapter. Wovoka was born in smith valley area southeast of carson city, nevada, around. Prophet wodziwob, another northern paiute is believed to be the first to introduce the ghost dance rituals around 1869. Though the practice of the ghost dance originated with the paiute tribe of nevada, it quickly spread to other indian tribes in the southwest. List of books and articles about ghost dance online. I read and reread this book as part of an extensive research project i engaged in for the current book i am writing, in which wovoka is a main character.
A link of wovoka s father to an earlier ghost dance of 1870 in the region is unclear. Paiute indian called wovoka, were these, later published in the messiah. The lakota ghost dance of 1890 unl digital commons. Representatives from tribes all over the nation came to nevada to meet with wovoka and learn to dance the ghost dance and to sing ghost dance songs. This is the best book about wovoka and the ghost dance that i found, and includes extensive interviews and comments by. During a solar eclipse on new years day, 1889, wovoka experienced a revelation that promised harmony, rebirth, and freedom for native americans through the repeated performance of the traditional ghost dance. Wovoka and the ghost dance michael hittman, don lynch on. The demoralized native americans of the west were receptive to wovokas message of redemption. The basis for the ghost dance is the circle dance, a traditional dance done by many native americans. The prophets told the dancers that through the ghost dance their dead family, friends and their way of life would return. During a solar eclipse on new years day, 1889, wovoka experienced a revelation that promised harmony, rebirth, and.
With these words, spoken by a paiute rancher named wovoka to describe a dream he experienced during a full eclipse on new years day of 1889, the native american ghost dance religion came into being. The practice swept throughout much of the western united states, quickly reaching areas of california and oklahoma. Wovoka s vision entailed the resurrection of the paiute dead and the removal of whites and their works from north america. The religious fervor known as the ghost dance movement was precipitated by the prophecies and teachings of a northern paiute named wovoka jack wilson. The ghost dance in ghost dance movement was initiated in by two paiute shamans and prophets, called wodziwob and wovoka c. Some speculate that wilson taught wovoka to speak and read english and exposed him to christianity.
Information on wovoka, a northern paiute who founded the ghost dance movement, is presented. Wovoka means cutter or wood cutter in the northern paiute language. The ghost dance was associated with wovokas prophecy of an end to white. Wovoka s father was numutiboo sometimes called tavibo, who for several decades was incorrectly believed to be wodziwob, a religious leader who had founded the ghost dance of 1870. 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.
Nanissaanah, also called the ghost dance of 1890 was a new religious movement incorporated into numerous native american belief systems. The ghost dance appeared during a time of desperation for the native american indian people. A paiute medicineman, wovoka originated the ghost dance which spread throughout the native american tribes of the west, causing white settlers and officials a great deal of consternation. Indispensable for understanding the prophet behind the messianic movement, wovoka and the ghost dance addresses for the first time basic questions about his message and this expanded edition includes a new chapter and appendices covering sources on wovoka discovered since the first edition, as well as a supplemental bibliography. Wovoka and the ghost dance library ebooks download read. Wovoka, the son of a paiute prophet tavibo, is thought to have been born in 1858. During a solar eclipse on new years day, 1889, wovoka experienced a revelation that promised harmony, rebirth, and freedom for native americans through the repeated performance of the. Below that inscription lee shipply again has written an additional comment. Ghost dance, central ritual of the messianic religion instituted in the late 19th cent. Wovoka and the ghost dance ebsco information services. This is the best book about wovoka and the ghost dance that i found, and includes extensive interviews and comments by people who knew him. Wovoka, also known as jack wilson, was born to a religious leader in nevada and raised by a rancher david wilson after the death of his father. Don lynch the religious fervor known as the ghost dance movement was precipitated by the prophecies and teachings of a northern paiute indian named wovoka jack wilson. 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.
Wovoka entwined and shaped shamanism and christianity into the structure and principles of the 1890 ghost dance. Wovoka born southwest of what is now carson city, nevada about 1856, his father, tavibo, was also a medicine man. Altruistic world online library view topic ghost dance. This is a combination of video clips and words about the ghost dance religion a clip with wes studi portraying wovoka and a brief, slowmotion clip of a traditional ghost dance, from the. On the half title page is the inscription from author paul bailey to my dear friend lee shipply i proudly inscribe this the last and forgotten study of wovoka and the ghost dance.
Indispensable for understanding the prophet behind the messianic movement, wovoka and the ghost dance addresses for the first time basic questions about his message and life. The ghost dance was part of a mystical ceremony designed to reestablish the native. The movement soon spread to other tribes and was practiced in ca and or. He prophesied that this dance would bring peace and. The ghostdance religion and wounded knee native american. People came from all around the country to talk to him, said hittman. The ghost dance started when paiute shaman jack wilson or wovoka had a vision that if our people would. Wovoka was worshipped far and wide as a new messiah, but in some areas his pacifist message became distorted through repeated retellings. Wovoka was the northern paiute religious leader who founded the ghost dance movement that is believed to have added to the fear and mistrust that led to the wounded knee massacre. The paiute tribe again came to the fore when wovoka c. The religious fervor known as the ghost dance movement was precipitated by the prophecies and teachings of a northern paiute indian named wovoka jack wilson. 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. During a solar eclipse on new years day, 1889, wovoka experienced a revelation.
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