Did the Navajo participate in the Ghost Dance?

Answer 1

I was raised on a Shoshone/Paiute Indian reservation in Northern Nevada. The Ghost Dance originated with the Paiutes in 1889. It spread from there to many tribes, ranging from California to Oklahoma. The first famous "Wounded Knee" incident occurred in 1890, where about 150 Sioux were killed for performing the Ghost Dance.

There is no record the Ghost Dance spread as far south as the Navajo at that time, though they may have performed the dance at later times.

There were still people on the reservation who thought the white eyes would one day disappear when I lived there.

"Worthless words" was the description given to the Ghost Dance in 1890 by Navajo leaders. Three years later James Mooney arrived at the Navajo reservation in northern Arizona during his study of the Ghost Dance movement, only to discover that the ritual was never incorporated into Navajo society even during the brief period of its widespread acceptance in western portions of the United States. According to Kehoe, the movement did not gain fervor there in 1890 due to higher levels of social and economic satisfaction at that time. Another factor at play was the fear of ghosts and spirits among the Navajo, based in their own particular religious beliefs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_dance

For the Navajo, "ghosts" are never good things. They are all the bad spiritual stuff that stays with the body and bones after someone has died. They can make you sick. All the good parts go their separate ways and become part of other things. That is death.

There is said to be a relationship between the Ghost Dance movement and the Native American Church movement. The NAC after being strongly opposed by traditionalists about 100 years ago slowly became more accepted on the Navajo Nation starting in the 1930's Today, about 1/3 of the people sometimes go to a NAC meeting.