The Ghost Dance: Intention vs. Result

The Ghost Dance: Intention vs. Result

I. Introduction

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.

II. Body

1.) What is the Ghost Dance?

A.) The ghost dance was originated by a Northern Paiute Indian named Wovoka (Jack Wilson in English), who insisted they were sent to earth to prepare Indians for their salvation. This movement began with a dream Wovoka had during a solar eclipse on the night of Jan 1, 1889. Wovoka’s dream included a vision in which all Native Americans were taken into the sky and the earth swallowed all white folk to revert back it its natural state. He believed that by performing the Ghost dance, this dream (vision) would become reality, and ghosts would return from the dead resulting in the ousting of the whites, and the restoration of the Natives land. The Ghost Dance spread rapidly through Western U.S.

5).

2.) U.S. Congress Involvement

A.) Government-appointed Indian Agents were assigned to Lakota reservations whose daily tasks varied from dealing with farming and education to issuing rations. They also and attempted to find a compromise between the progressive and non-progressive Indians. These agents were also forced to deal with officials in Washington, and were often faced with difficult situations. The goal of these government programs was to lead the Indians to civilization and to reduce the size of the Great Sioux Reservation. Andersson in “The Lakota Dance of 1890” states that “The agents generally agreed that the reduction was justifiable, but the manner in which it was carried out was not satisfactory. ...

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