• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / History / What was the Ghost Dance and How did the Ghost Dance originate?

What was the Ghost Dance and How did the Ghost Dance originate?

July 31, 2020 by Karen Hill

The Ghost Dance religion was founded in 1899 by Wovoka, a Northern Paiute prophet living in western Nevada.

Wovoka told his followers that one day while chopping wood he fell dead and traveled to heaven. There he talked to God, who told him that Indians should live peacefully and perform the Round Dance, a ceremonial dance of his tribe.

The religion quickly spread to tribes such as the Arapaho, the Cheyenne, and the Sioux. Among these Plains Indians, it became known as the Ghost Dance.

The religion’s popularity among the Lakota Sioux of the South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation particularly terrified whites in the area. The government agent responsible for overseeing the Pine Ridge Indians ordered them never to perform the Ghost Dance again. When they refused, he asked the U.S. government to send in soldiers to force them to stop.

These Arapaho were performing the Ghost Dance inspired by the vision of Wovoka, when anthropologist James Mooney took this picture.

Related Facts

  • What was the European Age of Exploration?
  • Why did the Plains Indians’ Ghost Dance frighten white people?
  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • Who Were the First Explorers of Ancient Civilization?
  • What does the expression “the ghost walks” mean and Where does it come from?
  • How Did the Sun Dance Begin In Blackfoot Mythology and Why Did Sun Teach Poia the Sun Dance?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How did Native Americans cope with the end of their traditional way of life after settling on reservations?
Next Post: Who were the Fort Marion artists and How did the Fort Marion Drawings Originate? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy