The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-20
ORIGIN OF GHOST DANCING.
THE COMING or THE MESSIAH IT'S
UNDERLYING IDEA.
Circumstances That Led the worth Amer,sAn
indian to Adopt This curious Commins'.ns
Of the Customs Of the Dcrvishes anu '"e
Teachings, Of Christianity.

LINCOLN, Neb., May i7.-Ghost oahcihR
omopv tha Stony Indians il a thing OF the past.
The Messiah craze which led to fierce Da'thhss
with the whites in the years gone by mas ""
out. Such was the unanimous OPINION VI II
ranchmen and former Indian hSh'ers VINO
were among the delegates To the recent nepuo-
lican State Convention. Among theHe ""e-
gates was one who was neither a rHhch""" nv
an old indian fighter, and vet he KNOWS more
perhaps of the history of the Nclis''e~S ''a"'
that lnred TO death many 81 the braves oi 'ne
Northwest tribes than docs any oi 're 'an'h-
men. This man is Gen. /" W. CODY, LOT I'VE
years Briradier-Genera Of the Nebraska m'I'la'
but now "A lawyer of Beatrice. IL WI 'olDS VINO
led The State militia to the frontier IN me winter
Of is9O-0l, when ghost dancing was az US worst,
and his connection with that campaign pr"nlp'eo
him TO investigate the reasons Tor the ihoIah
outbreak and the basis Of the queer ihn-iohS
that prevailed In the tribes.
Ghost dancing according 10 Gen. Colby, was
nothing more nor less than an adaptation 81 the
frenzy dances Of the whirllng dervishe' Oh
Turkey aud Egypt. al exercise undertaken Tor
the purpose Of placing the physical being IN a
state of exaltation wherein the spirit gains IN
Innate communion with the dead and with the
Messiah. II Is a curious fact, attested by the
better educated Indians, that this idea OF an
indian Messiah was an adoption ofthe 'hrlsliah
idea Of the Saviour, doubtless traceable to the
teaching Of tine early mi,sionarieS. The ex-
peCted advent Of an Indian Messiah has been
among the traditions of the Indians OF North
America almost from the beginning OF thelr con-
tact with the whites. and when tine fallnr" ~
crop, In 1889 and $50 left the indians without I'm"
subsistence upon which they depended the
Government failing TO furnish all Of the supplies
demanded their minds naturally turned TO
thoughts Of the Me~siah'S advent,
In the summer Of 1870 the idea became wide
spread and was followed soon after by the an
nounccmcnt that the Messiah had actually
come Medicine men from the ShoShoneS, the
Si"uN, principally Brults, the Chey"nnes and
the irapahoee journcyed into the des"rt Of
Nevada and there claimed TO have seen the
Indian Christ When they returned they told
10 great tribal meetings what they had seen IA
man with head bowed in sorrow and with sears
on wrists, feet and face. llctold them of his cotn-
Ing to redeem the whittier race from sin and
suffering. Of the cruelty that race had prac-
ti-rd upon him, Of hi crucifiNion. s%uforing and
death. lie Instructed them IN morality and
taught them certain religious dances aud
SpHS~' NV E''0' H''l'' "l'''''~ '"'"' ,"
medicine man told them that they had been
punished by the white races for evil deeds
done b, their furhear~, hpt that their tim" of
travail Wa about ended They said that be- had
told them that all IA" dead Indians should
return to NJ" that N" great herds of bufial
"tI'lul" rih ~ VIZ n'i'N Hrt' W. i,nt
be- unable 10 maufactur" g~unpo~d"r or bullets
'ha' WoUlu !Fh''IA'' ,'' IT. ny W'Ir ~
assume lldt, Nv M"u'u, '"n'I ~" 'Ith WI
thirty foot nf additional soil well SDiIpl md
'iinb'rrd', Nuutr W,",, w. Wm"H ""Hu nt
-uhoGated,, ana lha' any VIM" men VINO IS
onprd W",Id nr ,lr",u 'i"' Nuin' m1imH ~ ~ W., !"
rdin,s d; un NJ, ,h ~, fb,, h.liar,. and nrrnni1s
I'M" l''r,"' WV u" nv Thu w ,.I,',""n
a man oi ~ N,nr> ut az, ~ ~ W. 49,
w. ,E E.Is' ,h,y IId Listed and foGnnd Effective
one 'il"' If"IrNS'u 10 nav sen anu '"IN'"
VIII ms ~nh' hll,'u "'lS naurr u, "n Lor.
shirt. and md" d ire" ~'''WNih White muslin Vas used.
cue hnG y'n'" eur,l'S VIZ Ir"L'u Wv .m'
blrk ana ITonI VI HunN W. ~ P'inrH,
sonie ol "agnt ana o1"r ~ o mh1,r' nnt"
~f"n,h'rs W'rS Worn on Ihe Shnuurr-, slaves
ana head NothlhG ',,,aue "I ine'ai WIS Per
mltted cN1rll gun fis, u nan HI.T" u, une
circle OF dancers. men a woman. ,lnhl a large
circle. WAS ~'oriltu' lI.N danced rulild ana
round tu' one 10y one ne nahurrS grey llrrd
ana any, lnry lHI lo we tL"'h,u ana ,oantu
~ WI" '."",l; .nrn ~, - WV ,olGd NJ Wv ~
turned Y" 'nhNl"nSi'iNN 'HPN loid pl Wohner-
'ul lnlhtN ihrE lag n''n mlu marc, ine
song they .ang WIN" dancing WaSln IN" nature
OF a chant, WIN ~nih' VnIIatI"ns rom a mono
ton" tinpnaelS va ElN'u AT anout every
SECOND beat nl common uli' lht T'Ir2lh
waN ~ 'ln', q wal. Wi1cn ono" heard lnr otd-
t'ners say; was never 'ofEoVri" ~ uiNrS w"
song would II" an Incoh'rrnt, dl-'ohn"C''d con-
v%er~atIon between the great Nplr't ana ti' Gh"N'
dancer, slIup"S"d 10 TAX" iIa'" h''er ~" lall"r,
having tainted from rNlhllSlIpi ana llI,''lil
excitement had mounted uIon wings and en-
tercd into the realms %, the sun
Twenty miles from The i'ne Ridge Agency
about 2,N" indians, gathered. many 81 Them h'-
longing 70 The band o. the famous 3ld medicine
millennium would come with me nc,Nt spring
when the new grass appeared Soldiers W"r"
hurried from al parts Ol IN" country. lheN
herd"d the Indians into the agencies, and T'ir-
sued the wandering bands Of fanatics into, the
Bad Lands. and ther" proved 70 them mat thrr
ghost shirt was only tainted muslin ana IN
The ghost dane" was held for six days ana nights
at the beginning az every new moon, by COM
mand of the Messiah. Month after month in
1900 the dane" WIS kept up
Ry the influence Of the AGENTS ana me, indian
police backed by IN" soldiers, all OF me indians
except the Sioux Wor" h~rnnSNi under '"ntroI.
The Sioux w"r" numerous Nnf d"iltn'. hey
refused 10 Qult dancing ana lr"li"l. Inc agents
orders With contempt, me onllSl"n cam" AZ
NoHiu'V WI y y ~ o,a' NIL
UhtnIrr OF oulu'iS la" ILL., J." "u ,hh,nn,f
the rimes. They were lined up while n search
of their tcpnoS was made for arms. This
prgNru TThn a. -" do -" otrhn1ent cr .e,rcI"s
oru'rrd in' trS' uT",UIn1' I NJ,
guns concealed beneath their blankets and
ghost shirts. There were 40 bucks and $50
WoIu'h NV ''lIIl''n w. ~ Iu" $50
lnI i,HHu',nI VIE I' HoHr, "a a;nmn,n "tt,
: - nj, .,1yt,,y ,-o,,. 80 4.