Ghost Dance Religion

Kehoe's excellent work on the Ghost Dance religion allows the reader to be witness to a textbook example of religious revitalization movements. From the Paiute prophet Wovoka Jack Wilson's revelation during an eclipse to "Live a good, honest life" to the massacre at Wounded Knee, Kehoe describes in detail the history and beliefs of the Ghost Dance and the benefits it provided to the American Indian communities who took it up, as well as the rejection of the Ghost Dance religion by groups like the Navajo. Kehoe further describes the continuance of a variant of the Ghost Dance religion at a reservation in Seskatchewan and talks about the revitalization movement driven by Handsome Lake amongst the Iroquois and how the re-imagining of their beliefs allowed them to become more successful in a radically altered world.This rather short read by a pre-eminent author on the anthropology of American Indian societies is sure to both educate and provide deep enjoyment to the curious reader.

Anyone interested in North American Indians (Native Americans; First Nations) has to read Alice Beck Kehoe's book. She weaves together the past and present, religion and politics, and creates a book that offers more insight into contemporary issues than any other one ever written. And as a plus--for those interested in mysteries--she explains how the Ghost Dance Religion, thought to have died out in 1890, survived decades into the twentieth century.