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A mixture of Indian and Christian ceremony, the Ghost Dance
religion was started by Wovoka, a Pauite spiritual leader. Short Bull
and Kicking Bear brought the religion to the Lakota after a visit to
Wovoka.
The Ghost
Dance religion gave the Lakota hope in a time of disease, starvation,
and sorrow. By 1890, food was scarce and disease was ravaging many on
the reservation. The United States government had outlawed many native
traditions, and the Lakota were lost between cultures. The Indians
believed that if they danced, a messiah would come, the settlers would
dis-appear, and the buffalo would return.
As the Lakota gathered to dance near Pine Ridge, South Dakota, the
settlers became apprehensive. In response, the government sent nearly
half of the U.S. Army to stop the dancing. As the troops closed in, the
Lakota fled to the Badlands. The 7th U.S.
Calvary overtook them near Wounded Knee Creek. The next day, December
29, 1890, while the Lakota warriors were being disarmed, a shot was
fired. Seconds later, the camp erupted in battle, and within less than
an hour, 200 Lakota men, women, and children laid dead or dying. The
army sustained only 30 deaths.
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