Causes and Effects of the Ghost Dance & “Battle” / “Massacre” at Wounded Knee & The End of Dawes Era

(Cause) of The Ghost Dance In January 1889, a Paiute Indian,  “Jack Wilson”, had a revelation during a total eclipse of the sun. Devastated by current living conditions, JW sent the “Messiah Letters” urging the Ghost Dance believing this would reunite Indians with friends and relatives in the ghost world. Bringing back their glory and peace

The Ghost Dance 1890 Lakota Ghost Dance at Pine Ridge.

Ghost Dance and Psychological Warfare The Ghost Dance with non stop trance dancing and drumming with Indians dressed in full Indian dress meant to be spiritual but was actually perceived as psychological warfare to the military and settlers.

Effects of the Ghost Dance The unity and fervor that the Ghost Dance movement inspired, created fear and hysteria among white settlers This would culminate at Wounded Knee.

Cause of Wounded Knee December 29 1890, Members of the Sioux (Lakota) followers of the recently slain leader, Sitting Bull was Killed while being arrested. Wounded Knee would be referred to as the “Battle of Wounded Knee” by the US Military and the “Massacre of 1890” By the Lakota and other Native Americans Chief Sitting Bull

Causes of Wounded Knee Attempting to find the fugitives Indians at the camp settlement, orders were given to for all to surrender their guns. A shot rang out and the fighting began.

Effects of Wounded Knee At Wounded Knee (nearly 300 Lakota men, women, and children -- old and young --) were massacred in a encounter with U.S. soldiers. Is Massacre a fair non biased term for this event?

Effects of Wounded Knee Symbolized the culmination of the clash of cultures and the end of the “American frontier.” Lead to Burke Act (1906.) The end of Dawes!!!

Black Elk’s Reflection on Wounded Knee “I did not know then how much was ended. When I look back now from this high hill of my old age, I can still see the butchered women and children lying heaped and scattered along the crooked gulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud, and was buried in the blizzard. A people’s dream died there. It was a beautiful dream... The nation’s hoop is broken and scattered. There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree is dead.”

The Beginning of the End of Dawes Burke Act (1906)  Gave the Secretary of the Interior the power to determine who was “competent and capable” and who was “incompetent” Those ‘competent’ would have their land subject to taxation, and land could be sold by the allotted. Those  Indian Lands determined to be "incompetent" were automatically taken away by Federal Government. This was seen as an arbitrary way of taking Indian land and selling to settlers and speculators and investors.

Failures of the Dawes Act The land granted to most not sufficient for economic viability. Division of land between heirs resulted in land fractionalization. Wounded Knee showed clash of cultures too great for forced assimilation. Native Americans lost, over the 47 years of the Act's life, about 90 million acres (360,000 km²) of treaty land, or about two-thirds of the 1887 land base. About 90,000 Indians were made landless

Indian Reorganization Act (1934) Official End of the Dawes Era Importance of perpetuating Indian culture permitted surplus lands to be returned to tribal ownership.

Official End of the Dawes Era Indian Reorganization Act (1934) Currently, Native Americans suffer highest unemployment, infant mortality, lowest standard of living in America. Indian tribe casinos are working to better the lives of their members. Provide income, jobs, tourism, hotels, recreation. All to pay for Indian Schools, Hospitals, services, etc.

Chief Crazy Horse Monument located in the Black Hills South Dakota Will be the largest statue in the world making Mt. Rushmore look small by Comparison.

Review for Quiz What was the Ghost Dance? What was the cause of the dance What was an effect of the Ghost Dance? What two factors lead to Wounded Knee? What was the result of wounded knee? What was effect of the Burk Act 0f 1906 What was the Indian Reorganization act of 1934? How do you think Casinos help and/ or hurt Indian tribes? What were the failures of the Dawes Act?