How Does The Ghost Dance Affect The Life Of Native Americans?

The Civil War was over and Slavery was no longer, more people started immigrating to the colonies. The population in the colonies increased, living conditions started to dwindle. The government knew they needed to find land for farming and to house their growing populations. They focused on expanding toward the West, this region was already occupied by the Native American’s. The Government thought the Native American’s were savages and incapable of becoming civilized. The government wanted control over the lands the Native American’s occupied. Life for the Indians changed and the freedom they once had no longer existed. The Indians were forced off their land and it was given to white settlers. The Indian population started to decrease

According, to Dee Brown in the novel "Bury My Heart at Wound Knee", a Paiute Messiah named Wovoka entrusted an Indian name Kicking Bear with a message that he wanted him to share with all his people. The message was the earth was dying and the world would be renewed with new soil and this soil would bury all white men. The message also advised the land will be fruitful with plenty of water and food. To be a part of the renewed life the Indians had to perform a ritual ceremony that will once again inhibit the lands along with their ancestors. This dance was known as the Ghost Dance. The Indians trusted and believed the Messiah would protect them and provide a better life. They wore the magic symbols of the Messiah which became known as Ghost shirts. Ghost shirts were worn as a form of protection which the Indians believed bullets could not penetrate their skin and no harm would come to them. (1) They also believed performing this ritual dance would provide them with good fortune and one day the land will belong to them again. The ritual gained popularity as more people started to talk and as the ritual popularity grew it was adopted by many tribes. The popularity of this ritual became known by many as the Ghost Dance movement.

They believed the movement would inspire the clans to come together and start a war. The U.S was prepared to prevent the Ghost Dance movement from expanding any further. The government took immediate action and deployed troops to end this movement. Brown goes on to say that after the death of Sitting Bull, the Native Americans no longer felt safe, nor did they trust the new neighbors. Chief Big Foot tried to flee with his people to Pine Ridge Reservation for safety, only to be captured by the 7th Calvary. The Calvary soldier surrounded them at Wounded Knee Creek and ordered them to remove all the weapons. The members of the tribe obeyed their order and collected their weapons. The soldiers weren't satisfied with the number of weapons they surrendered so they began searching everyone and their personal belongings for additional weapons. The Native American became angry, the tribe's medicine man showed his frustration by performing the Ghost dance & chanting "The bullets will not go toward you". The soldiers continued to search the members of the tribe and as they approached the Black Coyote they noticed he still had a gun. Gunshots were fired and bullets were exchanged between the soldiers and the Native Americans. Over 100 Native Americans was killed which consisted of young woman and children, 25 U.S Soldiers, and those that were not killed were injured badly. (1) This marked the last battle