The Ghost Dance

By Crusader1307

The ‘’Ghost Dance’’ was a Native American Ceremonial Dance, first developed by The Northern Paiute Tribe. – in the 1880s. The ‘’religious practice’’ would spread to many other Plains Tribes. Most associated with The Sioux Tribe, the premise of The Dance was to invoke assistance from dead ‘’Warrior Ancestors’’, to become a ‘’spiritual Army’’ and ‘’fight’’ The Tribes Enemies. The Dance (similar to many Pow Wow Ceremonies), was performed for many days and nights. The participants strove in a circle (with Sacred Fire). All wore ceremonial clothing (at least with The Sioux), known as ‘’Ghost Shirts’’. These were outer garments of buckskin, scrapped ad dyed White (the color of The Afterlife). Various beading on the shirt was often arranged into pictographic prayers. The Dance was seen by The US Government as a form of morale building and resistance to most Tribes being forced onto Government Reservations and a ‘’controlled existence’’. By the late 1880s, ‘’Ghost Dancing’’ was outlawed on Reservations. Those who performed it, were often beaten or outright killed by US Army Soldiers and Tribal Police Officers. It is widely believed that The Ghost Dance precipitated the infamous Massacre at Wounded Knee (South Dakota, 1890).