From Conception to Wounded Knee
The Ghost Dance arose at a time when the very way of life of the Native American was being threatened with eradication. The ever-expanding presence of white settlers and frontiersman had resulted in the forcible relocation of integration of countless tribes across the western United States. The massacre of the buffalo in the name of "sport" left many tribes without a steady source of food or income. However, hope began to spread across the Great Plains and Western United States when two people, Wodziwob and Wovoka, began to preach that the fallen Indians would rise from the dead, that the buffalo would return, and that the white man would be pushed back off of their ancestral homeland. Wodziwob came nearly 20 years before Wovoka, however it is through Wovoka that the Ghost Dance began. While his message stayed consistent to that of Wodziwob in regard to what was to come, he added that for these events to take place, people must partake of a variation of the ritual round dance. Word of Wovoka's message reached into the Dakotas and found friendly ears among the Lakota Indians who sent an envoy to learn of the prophecies and Ghost Dance. Even though the original intent of Wovoka was to ensure a peaceful restoration of the native homelands, the Lakota saw it as affirmation of a militant resistance. This resistance came to a head when, in the wake of Custer's Last Stand, the 7th Calvary of the US Army intercepted and massacred the Lakota at Wounded Knee. Historical accounts show that this battle marked the decline of the Ghost Dance as a ritual practice in America though it was found to be practiced in Canada well into the 1960s.
Wodziwob
In the course of his lifespan, Wodziwob rose to becoming a renowned shaman of the Northern Nevada Paiute Indians. Later in his life around 1870, he began speaking at traditional Round Dance ceremonies professing visions that he had experienced. He foretold of a time in the coming future where the deceased tribesmen would once again return and walk amongst them. He spoke of better times to come, times where native culture and livelihoods would be stifled by the growing presence of the white settler. Through his role as shaman and Paiute prophet, Wodziwob became an instrumental founder of the Ghost Dance and is often attributed with such.
Wovoka (1858-1932)
Wovoka became a prominent spiritual leader amongst the Paiute. Having grown up working for a Christian rancher, David Wilson, Wovoka not only took on the English name of Jack Wilson, but he became well versed in the ideas of Christianity. By 1888, he had returned to Paiute and become a leader of the traditional Round Dances. It is reported that in 1889, Wovoka began to profess of visions inspired by god while in trance. He spoke of his people rising from the dead, the return of the buffalo, and the eradication of white colonizers. However, unlike Wodziwob, Wovoka claimed that God had instructed him on how to ensure these events came to pass. Most notably, Indians needed to show their faith that the dead would be resurrected. To accomplish this, tribes would need to take part in a ritual dance celebrating the return of the deceased ghosts. The work of Wovoka to seemingly ignite a religious revival among Native American's earned him worship across the region with many considering him a new messiah.
Dissemination to the Lakota
Around 1890, the Lakota Sioux had heard rumors of Wovoka's message. Several tribes of Lakota became highly interested and sent emissaries to interview Wovoka and intricately learn of his teachings. Upon their return, the Lakota had learned that by performing the Ghost Dance ceremony, their way of life could one day be restored to what it was before the European settler arrived. It further had a profound effect as by now, most Lakota were relegated to living life on reservations with sub par conditions. The Ghost Dance thus proved to be a source of hope that the native pride and power once held by the Lakota would return. Of note, the Lakota personalized the Ghost Dance ceremony by adding a special garment known as the "ghost shirt."
Battle of Wounded Knee
After less than a year of practicing the Ghost Dance, US Indian Officials began to petition for the federal government to put an end to the practice. These officials saw the continuation of these dances as a sign that there would be organized resistance to the US Government and that an armed uprising was imminent. In light of these fears, the US Army was dispatched to arrest key leaders of the Lakota including the famed Sitting Bull and Big Foot. In December of 1890, officials of Indian Affairs killed Sitting Bull while attempting to arrest him. Two weeks later on December 29th, the 7th Calvary, commanded by Col. James Forsyth, caught up with Big Foot and roughly 300 of his followers. Big foot agreed to a peaceful surrender yet refused to the confiscation of all weapons. As such, members of the 7th Calvary began searching the Indians encampment. One man, Sits Straight, began to dance the Ghost dance claiming that if everyone donned their sacred shirts and danced, god would protect them and no bullets would kill them. It is enumerated in the Encyclopedia Britannica that as Sits Straight's dance moved into a frenzy, a deaf member of the part refused to give up his weapon. During the confiscation, the weapon discharged causing the already spooked soldiers to open fire. In a matter of minutes, the remaining resistance to US Indian policy was evaporated in a hailstorm of gunfire.