The Ghost Dance

This pathfinder should assist anyone interested in learning about how and why the Ghost dance broke out so rapidly among the Teton Sioux Nation during the late 1800s.

By Simone Warner

ghostdancers

 

Primary Sources:

 

Kiowa No. 12 Ghost. James Mooney American Indian Music-01-07.

Internet Archive. http://archive.org/details/JamesMooneyAmericanIndianMusic-01-07 (accessed April 19, 2012.)

~Pairing the live audio of a Kiowa native performing Ghost song no. 12, Ehyusi Degiăta, with lyrics to the song from Mooney's document, The Ghost Dance Religion and the Sioux Outbreak of 1890 enabled me to encapsulate the emotion, and depth of the music in an interesting way. This matching helped me to convey truth in my descriptions of the dance. This source was more difficult to track down and I found it on the same archival website that has MooneyÕs document.

 

Mooney, James. The Ghost-dance Religion and the Sioux Outbreak of 1890. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1896. http://archive.org/details/ghostdancerelig00moongoog (accessed April 2012.)

~Mooney's firsthand account provided details of Wovoka and his history, including cultural qualities of Northern Paiute among Pyramid Lake, details of how and when the Sioux inaugurated the Ghost dance at Pine Ridge Agency, and lyrics, meaning, and information on both Paiute Ghost songs and Sioux Ghost songs. It is one of the most familiar primary documents regarding the Ghost dance of the Sioux.

 

Mooney, James. Siouan Tribes Of The East. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1894. http://archive.org/details/siouantribeseas00moongoog (accessed April 25, 2012.)

            ~This original document assisted me in getting some pre-history to the Sioux Nation living in the west that is discussed regarding the Ghost dance. It provides information on how and when the early Sioux tribes migrated west.

 

Secondary Sources:

 

Utley, Robert M. The Last Days Of The Sioux Nation. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1963.

~I used this source to clarify events leading up to the Battle of Wounded Knee Creek, and I used events regarding Ghost Shirts to establish specific Siouan feelings in support of and in doubt of the Ghost ShirtsÕ supernatural qualities. This source presents a complete account of the events leading up to, and causing the Battle at Wounded Knee Creek. It is available at the ACC Rio Grande Library.

 

Ilias sabbir, Muhammad. Theory of Revitalization Movements by Anthony F. C. Wallace. Academia.edu: Share Research.

http://rajshahi.academia.edu/isabbir/Papers/868438/Theory_of_Revitalization_Movement_by_Anthony_F._C._Wallace (accessed April 25, 2012.)

            ~I accessed this source in order to have a copy of Anthony F. C. Wallace's actual theory. It was useful in analyzing the mechanical way that a social group undergoes a revitalization and it was directly appropriate regarding the Sioux Nation.

 

Crystal, Ellie. Wovoka- Ghost Dances. Crystalinks: Metaphysics and Science Website. http://www.crystalinks.com/paiute.html (accessed April 25, 2012.)

            ~On this informatory site I was searching for specific information on Wovoka, and his history, to maintain credibility in my historic detail. I found not only information on his geography, history, and life, but also an anecdote drawing the connection between his magic bulletproof trick and the faith of the Sioux that the Ghost Shirts were supernatural.

 

Ostler, Jeffrey. The Lakotas And The Black Hills. New York, New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2010.

            ~The Blacks Hills, and the importance and history of them for the Lakota, were focused on in this book. I was able to delve into the spiritual attachment the Lakota had with the Black Hills and truly gain understanding of how monumental it was when the government seized the holy land from the Natives. It created foundation for the conflict in the timeframe of my paper.