What is "ghost dance"

Ghost dance \Ghost dance\ A religious dance of the North American Indians, participated in by both sexes, and looked upon as a rite of invocation the purpose of which is, through trance and vision, to bring the dancer into communion with the unseen world and the spirits of departed friends. The dance is the chief rite of the

Ghost-dance, or

Messiah,

religion, which originated about 1890 in the doctrines of the Piute Wovoka, the Indian Messiah, who taught that the time was drawing near when the whole Indian race, the dead with the living, should be reunited to live a life of millennial happiness upon a regenerated earth. The religion inculcates peace, righteousness, and work, and holds that in good time, without warlike intervention, the oppressive white rule will be removed by the higher powers. The religion spread through a majority of the western tribes of the United States, only in the case of the Sioux, owing to local causes, leading to an outbreak.

n. a religious dance of native Americans looking for communication with the dead

The Ghost Dance ( Caddo: Nanissáanah, also called the Ghost Dance of 1890) was a new religious movement incorporated into numerous American Indian belief systems. According to the teachings of the Northern Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka (renamed Jack Wilson), proper practice of the dance would reunite the living with spirits of the dead, bring the spirits of the dead to fight on their behalf, make the white colonists leave, and bring peace, prosperity, and unity to Indian peoples throughout the region.

The basis for the Ghost Dance, the circle dance, is a traditional form that has been used by many Indian peoples since prehistoric times, but this new ceremony was first practiced among the Nevada Paiute in 1889. The practice swept throughout much of the Western United States, quickly reaching areas of California and Oklahoma. As the Ghost Dance spread from its original source, Indian tribes synthesized selective aspects of the ritual with their own beliefs.

The Ghost Dance was associated with Wilson's (Wovoka's) prophecy of an end to white expansion while preaching goals of clean living, an honest life, and cross-cultural cooperation by Indians. Practice of the Ghost Dance movement was believed to have contributed to Lakota resistance to assimilation under the Dawes Act. In the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, U.S. Army forces killed at least 153 Miniconjou and Hunkpapa from the Lakota people. The Lakota variation on the Ghost Dance tended towards millenarianism, an innovation that distinguished the Lakota interpretation from Jack Wilson's original teachings. The Caddo Nation still practices the Ghost Dance today.

Ghost Dance is John Norman's 1970 historical fiction novel wherein a Sioux man and his tradition comes in conflict with a white woman and her civilization as the Wounded Knee Massacre approaches. As with the his Gor series, his main body of work, Norman displays both philosophical reaction and an affinity with incorporating historical events with the actions of fictional characters.

Ghost Dance by John Norman

"There was little noticeable, little remarkable about Edward Chance, saving perhaps that he had once shot and killed a man....His craft, medicine, was more than a business with him, more than a professional skill. It was a way of healing his own heart too." In GHOST DANCE, it is through Chance's keen eyes and weary heart that readers travel along on a journey of discovery and sorrow. On the run across the plains, Chance stumbles upon Running Horse, a Sioux warrior enacting the sacred and violent ritual of the Sun Dance. Quickly, Chance is pulled into the world of the Sioux people. As their civilization teeters on the brink of destruction, the Sioux perform the mournful and frightening Ghost Dance. Clashes with the white man are rising; the Wounded Knee Massacre approaches, still in the unknown distance; and violence and anger threaten the traditions of a proud and once-great people. Nearby, in her quaint sod house, Miss Lucia Turner awaits the full impact of those clashes. Dust on the horizon signals great change coming to her once-simple life. Lucia will soon become a different kind of woman.With GHOST DANCE author John Norman brings the same vigor and passion of storytelling and imagination that enriches his classic Gor novels to a vivid story of historical upheaval and personal exploration.(less) Published (first published January 1, 1970)

Ghost Dance were a British gothic rock and post-punk band. formed in 1985 by Gary Marx (ex- The Sisters of Mercy guitarist) and Anne-Marie Hurst (ex- Skeletal Family vocalist) as both were leaving their respective bands. The band were originally signed to Nick Jones' record label, Karbon Records, then were later signed to the major label Chrysalis Records, before splitting up in 1989.

Ghost Dance is a 1983 British film directed by Ken McMullen. This independent film explores the beliefs and myths surrounding the existence of ghosts and the nature of cinema.

Ghost Dance is the third studio album by The Pine Hill Haints. It was released in 2007 on K Records.

The Ghost Dance of 1890 was a Native American spiritual movement.

Ghost Dance may also refer to:

• Ghost Dance (novel), a novel by John Norman
• Ghost Dance (band), a 1980s gothic rock band from the UK
• Ghost Dance (film), a 1983 movie by Ken McMullen
• Ghost Dance (song), by Patti Smith Group
• Ghost Dance, a compilation CD by UK band Death Cult (later known as The Cult)
• Ghost Dance, the third novel in a children's fantasy trilogy by Susan Price
• "Ghost Dance", the sixth and final episode of the Into the West miniseries
• Ghost Dance (album), the 2007 album by The Pine Hill Haints
• The Ghost Dance, an anthropological study of the origin and nature of religion by Weston La Barre
• " Ghost Dancing", a 1983 song by Scottish rock band Simple Minds
• "Ghost Dance", a 1994 song by Canadian singer-songwriter Robbie Robertson