Revising earlier historical interpretations of the Ghost Dance, this dissertation traces the religion's emergence as an
American Indian prophet movement and describes its intersections with evangelical Protestantism and Mormonism in the Far West from the
mid-nineteenth century to the late-twentieth century. This project problematizes earlier studies by taking a longer view of Ghost Dance
religion and incorporating its engagement with and resistance to Protestantism and Mormonism into the narrative. It also seeks to correct
interpretations that focus solely on the Ghost Dance's 1890 manifestation and the violence of federal suppression at Wounded Knee, thereby
eliding the movement's broader cultural context before and after the massacre. By examining the confluence of historical encounters,
political forces, and the perceptions they engendered, this study distinguishes Ghost Dance religion from other American Indian prophet
movements and demonstrates how its 1890 and 1973 manifestations marked crisis points in American history through which national authority
was exerted and thereby consolidated. By reconceptualizing American history through Native American history, this dissertation also
discloses the union of religion and politics at work in the Ghost Dance and the prophetic traditions of its major competitors as they
sought to enshrine their own versions of American nationalism in the West. The first chapter of this project aims to situate its
contribution by discussing how reactions to the violence at Wounded Knee in 1890 shaped the historiography of the Ghost Dance movement and
constrained interpretations of the movement in significant ways. Chapter two traces the emergence of Ghost Dance religion to the activity
of the Bannock Prophet and his efforts to forge an alliance between American Indians and Mormons in opposition to U.S. rule at the start
of the Utah War in 1857. Chapter three details the general war against whites in the West that results from the collapse of Bannock and
Mormon efforts to unite as a single people through their perceived prophetic affinities. Through the examination of this conflict, the
study reveals how religious identities are performed through violence – a process that results in the emergence of highly politicized and
radicalized national identities. Chapter four connects manifestations of the Ghost Dance in the late 1860s and early 1870s to this
tradition of spirited resistance to U.S. authority, demonstrating how Ghost Dance adherents ordered their opposition to white rule through
a powerful fusion of religious and social realities that galvanized collective identity and motivated action to create a new world.
Chapter five adds to this discussion by narrating Ghost Dance manifestations of the late 1880s and early 1890s within this context to
reveal the revolutionary potential inherent in Wovoka's prophetic ministry. This focus works to erode lines between militancy and quietism
as well as politics and religion drawn in earlier studies, revealing how prophetic religion functions to create and to sustain national
identity. The final chapter investigates the persistence of Ghost Dance religion into the twentieth century, tracing its history through
the Saskatchewan Dakota's New Tidings community and the American Indian Movement's 1973 takeover of Wounded Knee. In examining how both
groups express their connection to the radical millennialism of the nineteenth-century Lakota Ghost Dance, this study reveals how
prophetic religion works to mediate political engagement in complex ways and further confirms the union of religion and politics within
the Ghost Dance movement. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Religion in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of
Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / December 11, 2015. / national identity, prophetic religion, religion and politics / Includes bibliographical references. / Amanda Porterfield, Professor Directing Dissertation; Andrew Frank, University Representative;
John Corrigan, Committee Member; John Kelsay, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_360515 |
| Contributors | Heise, Tammy Rashel (authoraut), Porterfield, Amanda (professor directing dissertation), Frank, Andrew (university representative), Corrigan, John (committee member), Kelsay, John (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college), Department of Religion (degree granting department) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource (314 pages), computer, application/pdf |
| Coverage | United States |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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