Everything about Wovoka totally explained
Wovoka (c.
1856 -
September 20,
1932), also known as
Jack Wilson, was the
Northern Paiute religious leader who founded the
Ghost Dance movement. Wovoka means “wood cutter” in the
Northern Paiute language.
Biography
Wovoka was born in
Smith Valley area southeast of
Carson City, Nevada, around the year
1856. Wovoka's father may have been the religious leader variously known as “Tavibo“ or “Numu-Taibo” whose teachings were similar to those of Wovoka. Regardless, Wovoka clearly had some training as a
shaman. Wovoka’s father died around the year
1870, and he was taken in by David Wilson, who was a
rancher in the
Yerington, Nevada area. Wovoka worked on Wilson’s ranch and used the name Jack Wilson when dealing with whites. David Wilson was a devout
Christian, and Wovoka learned
Christian theology and
Bible stories while living with him.
Wovoka gained a reputation as a powerful
shaman early in adulthood as he was adept at
magic tricks. One trick he often performed was being shot with a
shotgun, which may have been similar to the
bullet catch trick. Reports of this trick probably convinced the
Lakota that their “ghost shirts” could stop bullets. Wovoka also performed a
levitation trick.
Wovoka claimed to have had a prophetic vision during the
solar eclipse on
January 1,
1889. Wovoka's vision entailed the
resurrection of the Paiute dead and the removal of whites and their works from
North America. Wovoka taught that in order to bring this vision to pass the Native Americans must live righteously and perform a traditional round dance, known as the
Ghost dance, in a series of five-day gatherings. Wovoka's teachings spread quickly among many Native American peoples, notably the
Lakota. The Ghost Dance movement is best known for its role in the
Wounded Knee Massacre, in which it caused Indian Agents, Soldiers, and other Federal officials a great deal of consternation and helped to predispose them towards a cautious, wary, and defensive posture when dealing with the Sioux. Important to note is that Wovoka’s preachings included messages of non-violence, but that two Miniconjou, Short Bull and Kicking Bear, instead emphasized the possible elimination of Whites which contributed to the already defensive attitude of the federal officials who were already reacting with fear of the unknown to the Ghost Dance movement.
Wovoka died in Yerington on
September 20,
1932 and is interred in the Paiute Cemetery in the town of
Schurz, Nevada.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Wovoka'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://wovoka.totallyexplained.com">Wovoka Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
