Well things change. In New York the seat that was once held by Democrat and former Rep. Anthony Weiner, who resigned his seat do to an embarrassing sexting scandal, is now been won by a Republican. The NY district the Weiner once held is a very strong Democrat area but yet instead of voting for the Democratic State Assemblyman running for the seat they ended up voting for a 70year old Republican who is a political newcomer. With unofficial result at 80% of the votes in 54% of the vote when to the Republican and 46% to the Democrat.
Strange thing is the former Representative Weiner was a very liberal and out spoken an liberal causes and seem well liked by his district yet his district went for a Republican who vowed to push back on the Obama policies.
So is this a sign that Democrat Party is out of touch with their own members?
UR
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Ghost Dance
My commentary is below the video.
The Ghost Dance was a “round dance” that was part of a religious movement in 1890 that was started by a Paiute Indian named Wovoka also known as Jack Wilson, a name he adopted after his father died and was taken in and raised by a rancher by the name of David Wilson as a teen and worked there well into adulthood. Now Wovoka’s father was a medicine man and Wovoka was learning from his father but Wovoka was also known for having visions. Wovoka was well versed in Paiute traditions and religion but while being part of the Wilson family he was also taught the Bible and Christianity.
In January 1889 Wovoka had a vision during a solar eclipse. Wovoka’s vision showed the return or resurrection of the Paiute dead and that the white man and all that he has brought and done to the Indians would vanish and that the Indians and buffalo return to the days before the whites. Wovoka believed this could only be done by doing the Ghost Dance and living a righteous life. Wovoka was a pacifist and encouraged his follower not to harm the whites and continue to work with them. I believe Wovoka incorporated Indian beliefs with Christianity and some have said even as far as that Jesus would return as a Indian to bring about Wovoka’s vision. Wovoka’s vision and Ghost Dance began to gain attention from other western tribes who then sent representatives to meet and learn from Wovoka.
Now these tribal representatives returned to their tribes after learning the Ghost Dance, songs and prayers. Many tribes made changes to the song, prayers and even the dance so to fit into their traditions. But it was the Lakota Sioux who went further. Many Lakota by this time were highly resentful to the wasicu, which in Lakota means non-Indian and not “fat taker” which is “wasin icu” but wasicu overtime did become a derogatory and is associate with “greedy” or “untrustworthy”. Lakota were also resentful to the US Government and corrupt Indian Agents. We need to remember this 1890 and Custer’s last stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn which the Sioux killed Custer and massacred the US 7th Calvary was only about 13 or 14 years earlier. So the Sioux felt that they were still paying for that. Sioux were eventually forced on to the reservation due to lost of their main food resource the buffalo which were hunted nearly to extinction for their hides and bones by whites with the encouragement of the Government so that the Plains Indians would lack their number one resource and the cattle ranchers how want the buffalo and Indians gone for their land to raise cattle.
By February 1890 the Federal Government decided to break it treaty with the Sioux and breakup their reservation into smaller reservation and divided up the Great Sioux Nation. Even thought the Government tried to teach the Sioux to farm they did take into account the difficulty to farm in the Dakotas at that time. So at the end of the growing season of 1890 with poor precipitation and extreme heat the Sioux were unable to have any kind of substantial harvest. But the Government simply accused the Sioux of being lazy and they cut the Sioux’s supply rations and now that the Lakota didn’t even have the buffalo anymore they began to fear that they might starve. So the Lakota saw the Ghost Dance as a last hope but where Wovoka want a peaceful conversion the Lakota saw it differently.
The Lakota took the Ghost Dance and created specially designed shirts which were said to give the wearer special powers and protects the wearer from bullets. The Lakota reservation’s Indian Agents became increasingly worried about this movement and those who wore special magic shirts that they thought were bullet proof on the reservation and two great tragedies came to pass. The first was that the Sioux reservation Indian Agent suspected the great Sitting Bull was behind it or may soon join it. On December 15, 1890 the Indian Agent sent a group of Indian police to take him to custody but as they were trying to arrest Sitting Bull’s supporters began to gather around and when Sitting Bull began to resist and member of supporters raised his gun and shot the head officer who in turned shot Sitting Bull in the chest then one of the Indian police shot Sitting Bull in the head. By the end of the skirmish 9 Indian police and 7 of Sitting Bull’s supporters were dead as well as the great Sitting Bull. For trivia purpose apparently in 1983 Sitting Bull was baptized into the Roman Catholic faith.
The second tragedy of course was December 29, 1890 the Massacre at Wounded Knee. Of course story about what happen on the day depends on which side is telling it. This is what we do know. 200 members of Sitting Bull’s band left the Standing Rock Agency where Sitting Bull lived after hearing the death of Sitting Bull and fearing reprisal went and joined Spotted Elk (aka Bigfoot) at Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. Then on December 23rd Spotted Elk and his band along with 38 members of Sitting Bull’s band left for the Pine Ridge Reservation to seek protection under Red Cloud. But on December 28 they were intercepted by the 7th Calvary and Spotted Elk and his 350 followers were taken to Wounded Knee Creek which the rest of the 7th Calvary joined up bring the 7th’s numbers to 500 and the Indians’ at 350 with 120 of those being women and children. Well the US Calvary began disarming the Indians and here is different stories about who shot first happened. But in the end over 150 Indians were killed out of that over 60 were women and children and as for the Calvary over 30 were killed some speculate that many of that 30 were from friendly fire due to crossfire.
The Ghost Dance seemed to vanish after Wounded Knee. Perhaps it been turned into another round dance. I only heard of only one tribe still doing it. Interesting the Navaho never accepted the Ghost Dance due to cultural fear of ghost and dead. Even today Navaho Indian Police will get calls by elder Navaho and/or traditionalist if they even think they hear something they believe is a ghost and the Indian Police will come out and investigate. As Wovoka he passed way in 1932.
I thought this interesting regarding Ghost Dance Photos
Reading Photographs:
Imaging and Imagining the Ghost Dance: James Mooney's Illustrations and Photographs, 1891-1893
Thomas W. Kavanagh
UR
The Ghost Dance was a “round dance” that was part of a religious movement in 1890 that was started by a Paiute Indian named Wovoka also known as Jack Wilson, a name he adopted after his father died and was taken in and raised by a rancher by the name of David Wilson as a teen and worked there well into adulthood. Now Wovoka’s father was a medicine man and Wovoka was learning from his father but Wovoka was also known for having visions. Wovoka was well versed in Paiute traditions and religion but while being part of the Wilson family he was also taught the Bible and Christianity.
In January 1889 Wovoka had a vision during a solar eclipse. Wovoka’s vision showed the return or resurrection of the Paiute dead and that the white man and all that he has brought and done to the Indians would vanish and that the Indians and buffalo return to the days before the whites. Wovoka believed this could only be done by doing the Ghost Dance and living a righteous life. Wovoka was a pacifist and encouraged his follower not to harm the whites and continue to work with them. I believe Wovoka incorporated Indian beliefs with Christianity and some have said even as far as that Jesus would return as a Indian to bring about Wovoka’s vision. Wovoka’s vision and Ghost Dance began to gain attention from other western tribes who then sent representatives to meet and learn from Wovoka.
Now these tribal representatives returned to their tribes after learning the Ghost Dance, songs and prayers. Many tribes made changes to the song, prayers and even the dance so to fit into their traditions. But it was the Lakota Sioux who went further. Many Lakota by this time were highly resentful to the wasicu, which in Lakota means non-Indian and not “fat taker” which is “wasin icu” but wasicu overtime did become a derogatory and is associate with “greedy” or “untrustworthy”. Lakota were also resentful to the US Government and corrupt Indian Agents. We need to remember this 1890 and Custer’s last stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn which the Sioux killed Custer and massacred the US 7th Calvary was only about 13 or 14 years earlier. So the Sioux felt that they were still paying for that. Sioux were eventually forced on to the reservation due to lost of their main food resource the buffalo which were hunted nearly to extinction for their hides and bones by whites with the encouragement of the Government so that the Plains Indians would lack their number one resource and the cattle ranchers how want the buffalo and Indians gone for their land to raise cattle.
By February 1890 the Federal Government decided to break it treaty with the Sioux and breakup their reservation into smaller reservation and divided up the Great Sioux Nation. Even thought the Government tried to teach the Sioux to farm they did take into account the difficulty to farm in the Dakotas at that time. So at the end of the growing season of 1890 with poor precipitation and extreme heat the Sioux were unable to have any kind of substantial harvest. But the Government simply accused the Sioux of being lazy and they cut the Sioux’s supply rations and now that the Lakota didn’t even have the buffalo anymore they began to fear that they might starve. So the Lakota saw the Ghost Dance as a last hope but where Wovoka want a peaceful conversion the Lakota saw it differently.
The Lakota took the Ghost Dance and created specially designed shirts which were said to give the wearer special powers and protects the wearer from bullets. The Lakota reservation’s Indian Agents became increasingly worried about this movement and those who wore special magic shirts that they thought were bullet proof on the reservation and two great tragedies came to pass. The first was that the Sioux reservation Indian Agent suspected the great Sitting Bull was behind it or may soon join it. On December 15, 1890 the Indian Agent sent a group of Indian police to take him to custody but as they were trying to arrest Sitting Bull’s supporters began to gather around and when Sitting Bull began to resist and member of supporters raised his gun and shot the head officer who in turned shot Sitting Bull in the chest then one of the Indian police shot Sitting Bull in the head. By the end of the skirmish 9 Indian police and 7 of Sitting Bull’s supporters were dead as well as the great Sitting Bull. For trivia purpose apparently in 1983 Sitting Bull was baptized into the Roman Catholic faith.
The second tragedy of course was December 29, 1890 the Massacre at Wounded Knee. Of course story about what happen on the day depends on which side is telling it. This is what we do know. 200 members of Sitting Bull’s band left the Standing Rock Agency where Sitting Bull lived after hearing the death of Sitting Bull and fearing reprisal went and joined Spotted Elk (aka Bigfoot) at Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. Then on December 23rd Spotted Elk and his band along with 38 members of Sitting Bull’s band left for the Pine Ridge Reservation to seek protection under Red Cloud. But on December 28 they were intercepted by the 7th Calvary and Spotted Elk and his 350 followers were taken to Wounded Knee Creek which the rest of the 7th Calvary joined up bring the 7th’s numbers to 500 and the Indians’ at 350 with 120 of those being women and children. Well the US Calvary began disarming the Indians and here is different stories about who shot first happened. But in the end over 150 Indians were killed out of that over 60 were women and children and as for the Calvary over 30 were killed some speculate that many of that 30 were from friendly fire due to crossfire.
The Ghost Dance seemed to vanish after Wounded Knee. Perhaps it been turned into another round dance. I only heard of only one tribe still doing it. Interesting the Navaho never accepted the Ghost Dance due to cultural fear of ghost and dead. Even today Navaho Indian Police will get calls by elder Navaho and/or traditionalist if they even think they hear something they believe is a ghost and the Indian Police will come out and investigate. As Wovoka he passed way in 1932.
I thought this interesting regarding Ghost Dance Photos
Reading Photographs:
Imaging and Imagining the Ghost Dance: James Mooney's Illustrations and Photographs, 1891-1893
Thomas W. Kavanagh
UR
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