The Ghost Dance: Ethnohistory and Revitalization (Case Studies in Cultural Anthropology)

By Alice Beck Kehoe

Book Overview

"In this ethnohistorical case study of North American Indians, the Ghost Dance religion is the backbone for Alice Kehoe's exploration of significant aspects of American Indian life and her quest to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0030028523
• ISBN13: 9780030028526
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Holt Rinehart & Winston
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.3" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Revitalization indeed

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.