The Ghost-dance religion and the Sioux outbreak of 1890 : $b Fourteenth annual report of the Bureau of Ethnology, part 2.Mooney, James
Religion
The Ghost-dance religion and the Sioux outbreak of 1890 : $b Fourteenth annual report of the Bureau of Ethnology, part 2.
Mooney, James
Dakota Indians -- Wars, 1890-1891; Ghost dance
My father, I will explain to you what the Great Spirit said to
me—to do so, I must make some marks. The Great Spirit says: My
father, we started from this point (A, figure 61). We are here
now (B). When we get here (C), the Great Spirit will appear to me
again. Here (B) the Great Spirit gave his blessings to the Indians
and told them to tell his people to throw away their medicine bags
and not to steal, not to tell lies, not to murder, not to quarrel,
and to burn their medicine bags. If they did not, they could not
get on the straight way, but would have to go the crooked path of
the bad here (D); that when we got to this place (the curved line,
E), we would not be able to cross it unless we were all good. It
was fire. That we should go to this place (E), where there would be
collected all the red chiefs and there would be a great preaching.
That if we had not thrown away all our bad doings, these two points
would meet (D and E), and then the Great Spirit would destroy
everything and the world would be turned over. That if we would be
good and throw away all our bad doings, we would cross this fire,
when we would [come] to water (second line), which we would cross.
There we would come to a country where there was nothing but a
prairie and nothing grew upon it. There the sun would be hid from
us by four black clouds. When we get here (C), the Great Spirit
will explain these round marks.
My father, I have now explained as well as I can, with much pains,
our situation. I wish you to tell me the truth and hide nothing
from me. I have heard that some of your warriors are going to take
up the tomahawk. I explained to you last fall our situation. We are
now here (B), where we are in great trouble. I told you of all our
troubles. I asked you to reflect on our situation and that we would
come back to see you.
* * * * *
My father, you call all the redskins your children. When we have
children, we treat them well. That is the reason I make this long
talk to get you to take pity on us and let us remain where we are.
My father, I wish after my talk is over you would write to my Great
Father, the president, that we have a desire to remain a little
longer where we now are. I have explained to you that we have
thrown all our badness away and keep the good path. I wish our
Great Father could hear that. I will now talk to my Great Father,
the president.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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