The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-06-09
ORIGIN OF GHOST DANCING.
Circumstances That Led the Indian
to Adopt This Curious Custom.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
Ghost dancing among the Sioux Indians
is thing of the past. The Messiah
craze. which led 20 fierce battlings with
the whites in the years gone by, has
died out Such was the unanimous opin-
ion of the ranchmen and former Indian
fighters who were among the delegates
to the recent Nebraska Republican state
Convention. Among these delegates was
one who was neither a ranchman nor
an old Indian fighter and yet he knows
more perhaps of the history of the sense
less craze that lured to death many of
the braves of the northwest tribes than
does any of the ranchmen. This man
Is Gen l.. w Colby for five years brlga-
der general of the Nebraska militia. but
now a lawyer of Beatrice. IL was Colby
who led the state militia to the frontier
in the winter of lS90-91, when ghost dane
ing was at its worst, and the connection
with THAI campaign prompted him TO In
vestigate the reason for the Indian out
break ana the basis of the queer Illus
ions that prevailed in the tribes.
Ghost dancing, according to Gen. COL
by, was nothing more nor less than an
adaptation of the frenzy dances OF the
whrng dervishes of Turkey and Egypt
an exercise undertaken for the purpose
OF IlhclES the pHysicdl DeluS IN sydle
of exaitation wherein the spirit gains
Intimate communion with the dead, and
with the Messiah. 1t Is q curious fact,
attested by the better-educated Indians,
that this idea of an Indian Messiah was
an adoption of the Christian idea of the
Saviour doubtless traCeable to the teach
iugs Of the early missionaries. The ex-
pectcd advent OF an Indian Messiah has
been among the traditions OF the Indians
Of North America almost from the be-
ginning of their contact with the whites,
ana when the failure of crops In 1899 aud
1890 left the Indians without the subsist-
ence uDon which they depended-the gov
erument failing to furnish all of the sup.
plies demanded-their minds naturally
turned 10 thoughts OF the Messiah's ad-
vent.
In the summer Of 1890 the idea became
widespread and was followed soon after
by the announcement that the Messihn
had actually come Medicine men from
the Shoshoncs. the Sioux. principally
Brues, the Cheyennes and the Arapa-
hoes journeyed into the desert of Nevada
ana there claimed 90 have seen the Indian
Christ When they returned they told
20 great tribal meetings what they had
| secn-a man with head bowed IN sorrow
an1 with scars on wrists. feet and face
He told them Of his coming 90 redeem the
whlter race from sin and suffering. OF the
cruelty that race had practiced upon him
az his cruciiiXion, suffering and death. He
instructed them in morality and laugh.
them certain religious dances and songs
the ghost dance among them. The medi-
cine man told them that they had been
punished by the white races for evil
deeds done by their forbears, but that
their time Of travail was about ended
They said that he had cold them that all
the dead Indians should return 10 llfe
that the great herds Of buffalo antelope
elk and wild horses were 10 be reincar-
Noted: that hereafter, the white man
would be unable to manufacture gunpow-
der or bullets that would penetrate the
dress they were to assume that he would
| cover the earth with thirty feet of I'D
ditioual soil, well sodded and timbered,
| under which the whites would be suffo-
| Gated, and that any white men who es-
capped would be turned into small fishes
IN the rivers OF the land. Ali that wa
asked Of the Indians was that they be
| lieve and organize.
These medicine men described the Chris
as man OF forty years OF age The,
said he gave them certain signs where
with 10 work miracles, end these they ha
tested and found effective. One chic