Classic of American anthropology explores messianic cult behind Indian resistance, from Pontiac to the 1890s. Extremely detailed, thorough account, citing many primary documents as well as Mooney's own anthropological data. Originally published in 1896 as Part Two of Bureau of American Ethnology Report XIV. 38 plates, 49 other illustrations.
Immediately following the massacre of Wounded Knee (December 29, 1890), the well-known anthropologist James Mooney, under the auspices of the Bureau of American Ethnology and the Smithsonian, investigated the incident. His interest was primarily in the Indian background to the uprising. Admitting that the Indians had been generally overpowered by the Whites, what led the Indians to think they stood a chance against White arms? His answer was astonishing: the Ghost-Dance Religion.
Investigating every Indian uprising from Pontiac to the 1980s, every Indian resistance to aggression, every incident of importance, Mooney discovered a cultural pattern: a messianic religion that permeated leaders and warriors from Tecumseh and his brother The Prophet on up to the Plains tribes that revived the Ghost-Dance in the 1880s and 90s. The message was: abandon the ways of the Whites; go back to Indian ways; an Indian messiah is coming; the Indian dead are to be resurrected -- indeed, some have already returned; and the Whites are to be killed by the Spirits.
Mooney made an exhaustive study of this cult, the rise of its latest version, diffusion to the Plains, and its relevance to the medicine man Sitting Bull and others. Citing many primary documents as well as anthropological data he gathered himself, Mooney gives an extremely detailed, thorough account of the cult; its songs and dances, ceremonies, and its social impact.
This work has always been considered one of the great classics of American anthropology, a book that not only offers an account of a very interesting cultural phenomenon, but also throws light on many events in Indian-White relations that are otherwise dark. Its data have never been superseded and the book remains a work of primary importance in Native American studies.
Introduction
The narrative
Chapter
I Paradise lost
II The Delaware prophet and Pontiac
III Tenskwatawa the Shawano prophet
IV Tecumtha and Tippecanoe
V Känakûk and minor prophets
Känakûk
Pa´theske
Tä´vibo
Nakai-dokli´ni
The Potawatomi prophet
Cheez-tah-paezh the Sword-bearer
VI The Smohalla religion of the Columbia region
Smohalla
Joseph and the Nex Percé war
VII Smohalla and his doctrine
VIII The Shakers of Puget sound
IX Wovoka the messiah
X The doctrine of the Ghost dance
Appendix:
The Mormons and the Indians
Porcupines's account of the messiah
The Ghost dance among the Sioux
Selwyn's interiew with Kuwapi
XI The Ghost dance west of the Rockies
XII The Ghost dance east of the Rockies-among the Sioux
Appendix: Causes of the outbreak
Commissioner Morgan's statement
Ex-Agent McGillycuddy's statement
Statement of General Miles
Report of Captain Hurst
Statement of American Horse
Statement of Bishop Hare
XIII The Sioux outbreak-Sitting Bull and Wounded Knee
Appendix: The Indian story of Wounded Knee
XIV Close of the outbreak - The Ghost dance in the south
XV The ceremony of the Ghost dance
Among the northern Cheyenne
Among the Sioux
Song rehersals
Preparations for the dance
Giving the feather
The painting of the dancers
The ceremony
The crow dance
The hypnotic process
The area covered by the dance
Present condition of the dance
XVI Parallels in other systems
The Biblical period
Mohammedanism
Joan of Arc
Dance of Saint John
The Flagellants
"Ranters, Quakers, and Fifth-Monarchy men"
French prophets
Jumpers
Methodists
Shakers
Kentucky revival
Advertists
Other parallels
Beekmanites
Patterson and Brown's mission
Wilderness worshipers
Heavenly recruits
Appendix: Hypnotism and the dance among the Dervishes
The songs
Introductory
The Arapaho
Tribal synonymy
Tribal signs
Sketch of the tribe
Songs of the Arapaho
1. "Opening song: Eyehe´! nä´nisa´na - O, my children!"
2. Se´icha´ heita´wuni´na - The sacred pipe tells me
3. Ate´be tiawu´nanu´ - When at first I liked the whites
4. A´bä´ni´hi´ - My partner
5. A´-nisûna´a´hu - My father
6. E´yehe´! Wû´nayu´uhu´ - E´yehe´! They are new
7. Hi´sähi´hi - My partner! My partner
8. Ä´-nani´ni´bi´nä´si waku´na - The wind makes the head-feathers sing
9. He´! Näne´th bishiqa´wa - When I met him approaching
10. Häna´na´wunanu - I take pity on those
11. "A-ni´qu wa´wanä´tia´ - Father, now I am singing it"
12. Ha´yana´-usi´ya´ - How bright is the moonlight!
13. Ha´ti ni´bät - The cottonwood song
14. Eyehe´! A´nie´sa´na´ - The young Thunderbirds
15. "A´he´sûna´nini naya´qûti´hi - Our father, the Whirlwind"
16. "A´he´sûna´nini naya´qûti´ - Our father, the Whirlwind"
17. Ninaä´niahu´na - I circle around
18. Ha´nahawu´nen beni´ni´na - The Hanahawunen gave it to me
19. Ate´be´ tana´-ise´ti - When first our father came
20. A-ni´äne´thahi´nani´na - My father did not recognize me
21. Ni´-athu´-a-u´ a´hakä´nith´ii - The whites are crazy
22. Na´ha´ta bi´taa´wu - The earth is about to move
23. Ahe´sûna´nini ächiqa´ha´wa-û - I am looking at my father
24. Ha´anake´I - The rock
25. Wa´wa´na´danä´dia - I am about to hum
26. A-te´be dii´netita´nieg - At the beginning of existence
27. Tahu´na´änä´nia´huna - It is I who make the thunder
28. "Ani´qu ne´chawu´nani´ - Father, have pity on me"
29. A-ni´niha´niahu´na - I fly around yellow
30. Niha´nata´yeche´ti - The yellow hide
31. A-bää´thina´hu - The cedar tree
32. Wa´wa nû´nanû´naku´ti - Now I am waving an eagle feather
33. A-ni´qana´ga - There is a solitary bull
34. A-neä´thibiwa´hana - The place where crying begins
35. Thi´äya´ he´naa´awa - When I see the thi´äya
36. A-hu´hu ha´geni´sti´ti - The crow is making a road
37. Bi´taa´wu hu´hu´ - The crow brought the earth
38. Ni´nini´tubi´na hu´hu´ (I) - The crow has called me
39. Nû´nanû´naa´tani´na hu´hu´ (I) -The crow is circling above me
40. "Iyu hä´thäbe´nawa´ - Here it is, I hand it to you"
41. "Hanae´hi ya´ga´ahi´na - Little boy, the coyote gun"
42. He´sûna´ na´nahatha´hi - The father showed me
43. Nänisa´taqu´thi Chinachi´chibä´iha´ - The seven venerable priests
44. Nä´nisa´taqi Chi´nachi´chibä´iha´ - The seven venerable priests
45. Nû´nanû´naa´tani´na hu´hu´ (II)
46. Na´tanu´ya che´bi´nh - The pemmican that I am using
47. "Häi´nawa´ hä´ni´ta´quna´ni - I know, in the pitfall"
48. Bä´hinä´nina´tä ni´tabä´na - I hear everything
49. A-bä´qati´ hä´nichä´bi´hinä´na - With the wheel I am gambling
50. Ani´äsa´kua´na - I am watching
51. Ni´chi´a i´theti´hi - (There) is a good river
52. Ni´nini´tubi´na hu´hu´ (II)
53. Anihä´ya atani´ta´nu´nawa´ - I use the yellow (paint)
54. Ni´naä´niahu´tawa bi´taa´wu - I am flying about the earth
55. I´nita´ta´-usä´na - Stand ready
56. Wa´wäthä´bi - I have given you magpie feathers
57. "Ani´qa he´tabi´nuhu´ni´na - My father, I am poor"
58. Nä´nisa´taqu´thi hu´na - The seven crows
59. Ahu´nä he´sûna´nin - There is our father
60. "Ga´awa´hu - The ball, the ball"
61. Ahu´ ni´higa´hu - The Crow is running
62. Ya´thä-yû´na - He put me in five places
17. "A´ga´ch ehe´e´ye´ ! - The crow, the crow"
18. "Nä´niso´näsi´stsi he´e´ye´ ! - My children, my children"
19. Agu´ga´-ihi - The crow woman
Cheyenne glossary
The Comanche
Tribal synonymy
Tribal sign
Sketch of the tribe
Songs of the Comanche
1. Heyo´hänä häe´yo
2. Ya´hi´yû´niva´hu
3. Yani´tsini´hawa´na
4. Ni´nini´tuqi´na
"The Paiute, Washo, and Pit River tribes"
Paiute tribal synonymy
Sketch of the Paiute
Characteristics
Genesis myth
The Washo
The Pit River Indians
Songs of the Paiute
1. Nüvä ka ro´rani´ - The snow lies there
2. Dena´ gayo´n - A slender antelope
3. Do ti´mbi - The black rock
4. Päsü´ wi´noghän - The wind stirs the willows
5. Pägüinäväi - Fog! Fog!
6. Wûmbi´ndomä´n - The whirlwind
7. Kosi´ wûmbi´ndomä´ - There is dust from the whirlwind
8. Dombi´na so´wina´ - The rocks are ringing
9. Su´ng-ä ro´yonji´ - The cottonwoods are growing tall
Paiute glossary
The Sioux
Tribal synonymy
Tribal sign
Sketch of the tribe
Songs of the Sioux
1. Opening song: A´te he´ye e´yayo - The father says so
2. "Michi´nkshi nañpe - My son, let me grasp your hand"
3. He tuwe´cha he - Who think you comes there?
4. Wana´yañ ma´niye - Now he is walking
5. Lechel miyo´qañ-kte - This is to be my work
6. Michinkshi´yi tewa´qila che - I love my children
7. Mila kiñ hiyu´michi´chiyana - Give me my knife
8. Le he´yahe´ - This one says
9. Niya´te-ye´ he´u´we - It is your father coming
10. Miyo´qañ kiñ wañla´ki - You see what I can do
11. Michinkshi mita´waye - It is my own child
12. A´te he´ u-we - There is the father coming
13. Wa´sna wa´tiñ-kta - I shall eat pemmican
14. A´te lena ma´qu-we - The father gave us these
15. "Ina´ he´kuwo´ - Mother, come home"
16. Wa´na wanasa´pi-kta - Now they are about to chase the buffalo
17. He! Kii´ñyañka a´gali´-ye - He! They have come back racing
18. Mi´ye wañma´yañka-yo! - Look at me!
19. Maka´ sito´maniyañ -The whole world is coming
20. Le´na wa´kañ - These sacred things
21. Miyo´qañ kiñ chichu´-che - I have given you my strength
22. "Michi´nkshi tahe´na - My child, come this way"
23. Wana wiche´ shka - Now set up the tipi
24. "A´te mi´chuye - Father, give them to me"
25. Hañpa wecha´ghe - I made moccasins for him
26. Waka´ñyañ iñya´ñkiñ-kte - The holy (hoop) shall run
Sioux glossary
The Kiowa and Kiowa Apache
Kiowa tribal synonymy
Kiowa tribal sign
Sketch of the Kiowa
The Kiowa Apache
Songs of the Kiowa
1. Da´ta-i so´da´te - The father will descend
2. Da´k'iñ´ago (im) zä´nteähe´dal - The spirit army is approaching
3. Gu´ato ädâ´ga - I scream because I am a bird
4. Da´ta-i nyä´hoânga´mo -The father shows me the road
5. Dak'iñ´a bate´yä - The spirit (God) is approaching
6. Na´da´g äka´na - Because I am poor
7. Ze´bät-gâ´ga igu´ânpa´-ima´ - He makes me dance with arrows
8. Be´ta! To´ngyä-gu´adal - Red Tail has been sent
9. Da´ta-i änka´ñgo´na - My father has much pity for us
10. Da´ta-i iñka´ñtähe´dal - My father has had pity on me
11. Dak'iñ´ago äho´ähe´dal - The spirit host is advancing
12. E´hyuñ´I degia´ta - I am mashing the berries
13. Go´mgyä-da´ga - That wind shakes my tipi
14. Dak'iñ´a dakañ´tähe´dal - God has had pity on us
15. Anso´gyätä´to - I shall cut off his feet
Kiowa glossary
The Caddo and associated tribes
Caddo tribal synonymy
Caddo tribal sign
Sketch of the Caddo
"The Wichita, Kichai, and Deleware"
Songs of the Caddo
1. Ha´yo ta´ia´ a´a´ -Our father dwells above
2. Wû´nti ha´yano´ di´witi´a - All our people are going up
3. Nûna i´tsiya´ - I have come
4. Na´tsiwa´ya - I am coming
5. Na´-iye´ ino´ ga´nio´sit - My sister above
6. Na´a ha´yo ha´wano - Our father above (has) paint
7. Wû´nti ha´yano ka´ka´no´ - All the people cried
8. Ba´wi i´na - We have our mother below
9. Ni´ika´ na´a - Our grandmother and our father above
10. Hi´na ha´natobi´na - The eagle feather headdress
11. Na´ aa´ o´wi´ta´ - The father comes from above
12. Na´iwi´ o´wi´ta´ - See! The eagle comes
13. A´nana´ hana´nito´ - The feather has come back
14. Na´iwi´ ha´naa´ - There is an eagle above
15. "Wi´tu´ Ha´sini´ - Come on, Caddo"
Caddo glossary
Authorities cited