Saturday, July 14, 2018

Wovoka's Ghost Dance Prophesy




I’m writing this in July, 2018. 
About 45 years ago, when I was about 20, I met a local Mexican girl, here in southwestern Oklahoma. I made a mistake, unknowingly. I mentioned I thought she looked “Indian”. She got pretty upset at me, and said, “I’m SPANISH! Not Indian!” Time passed, and I left southwestern Oklahoma, only to return in the 1990s. 
I got a job about a decade ago driving a van sometimes, and a bus sometimes. Some days I was scheduled to drive a bus to pick up head start children. We picked up children from 2 to 4 years of age. Later in the day, we would take them home. On the first day and sometimes for the first two weeks or so, some of the children were away from their mother for the first time in their lives for any extended period of time. Some of them, of all races and mixes, would get scared and cry. Some of the children were Hispanic, mostly Mexican. I learned very quickly to say, “No llores, por favor”. That means “Please don’t cry”. Since they’d never been away from mama, they got scared very easily. For some reason, I was thinking about that recently.
One of the head start teachers was this young girl from Del Rio, Texas, which is right on the Texas/Mexican border. She spoke perfect Spanish and fluent English both, and I got to know her pretty well. She could be blunt. She asked me “Why do people here call me Spanish? I’m not Spanish.” And she went on to say she was Native American and was proud of her heritage. I thought to myself how some attitudes had changed in the last four decades. Some people had gone from being ashamed of their native heritage to embracing it in both nations, Mexico and the United States.
I started thinking about other things. One thing led to another, and  as the gestalt of all these things came together, I started to think about putting up another blog entry. Here goes. Have current events led us to see the fulfillment of Wovoka's prophesy? NO!! But the shoe does seem to fit the size of the foot. And what was his prophesy?

The Ghost Dance Prophesy
            When I was younger I remember reading about “the Ghost Dance” and a prophesy that went with it. I don’t remember the details. It went something like the Old Indians would return to North America. And I was thinking of the recent Mexican and Central American migration up here. Are they the return of the “old people”? Are they the fulfillment of the prophesy? Well I want to look it up online. What does it say online about the “Ghost Dance”?  Are the return of Mexican and Central American Indian mixed-race people the fulfillment of this prophesy? What do you think? Please note I am asking this question myself. Maybe it is nonsense, I don’t know.
             I read the following from the website above. It says – “This movement found its origin in a Paiute Indian named Wovoka”. The Paiute tradition that led to the Ghost Dance began in the 1870s in the Western Great Basin from the visions of Wodziwob (Gray Hair) concerning earth renewal and the reintroduction of the spirits of ancient Numu (Northern Paiute)” . . . end of quote. It is interesting to note the Comanche also call themselves “Numu”. Back to the website, it says; “The movement began with a dream by Wovoka (named Jack Wilson in English), a Northern Paiute, during the solar eclipse on January 1, 1889. He claimed that, in his dream, he was taken into the spirit world and saw all Native Americans being taken up into the sky and the Earth opening up to swallow all Whites and to revert back to its natural state . . . The Native Americans, along with their ancestors, were put back upon the earth to live in peace.”
           “His teachings followed a previous Paiute tradition predicting a Paiute renaissance. . . He also told them to remain peaceful and keep the reason for the dance secret from the Whites. Wovoka’s message spread quickly to other Native American peoples and soon many of them were fully dedicated to the movement. Representatives from tribes all over the nation came to Nevada to meet with Wovoka and learn to dance the Ghost Dance and to sing Ghost Dance songs.” Here is a photo of Wovoka (1856-1932). 



              From the webpage above – “Wovoka was born about 1856 in Smith Valley or Mason Valley, Nevada, as one of four sons of Tavid, also known as Numo-tibo's, a well-known medicine man. (A link of Wovoka's father to an earlier Ghost Dance of 1870 in the region is unclear.) Both of Wovoka's parents survived into the twentieth Century. At about the age of fourteen Wovoka was sent to live with and work for the Scotch-English family of David Wilson. During this period he acquired the names Jack Wilson and Wovoka, meaning "Wood Cutter."
“The religious influences upon Wovoka were diverse. Wovoka was clearly affected by the religious values of the pious United Presbyterian family; Mr. Wilson read the Bible each day before work. He lived in a region where traveling preachers were common and Mormonism prevalent. There is a possibility that Wovoka traveled to California and the Pacific Northwest, where he may have had contact with reservation prophets Smohalla and John Slocum.
“At about the age of twenty he married Tumm, also known as Mary Wilson. They raised three daughters. At least two other children died.” End of direct quote. I don’t know who these two prophets were.
Quote --“The turning point in Wovoka's life came in the late 1880's. In December of 1888 Wovoka may have been suffering from scarlet fever. He went into a coma for a period of two days. Observer Ed Dyer said, "His body was as stiff as a board." Because Wovoka's recovery had corresponded with the total eclipse of the sun on January 1, 1889, he was credited by the Numu’s for bringing back the sun, and thereby saving the universe.
“After this apparent near death experience, Wovoka proclaimed that he had a spiritual vision with personal contact with God who gave him specific instructions to those still on earth. According to Wovoka, God told him of a transformation by the spring of 1891 when the deceased would again be alive, the game would again flourish, and the whites would vanish from the earth. He had also been instructed to share power with the President of the East, Benjamin Harrison. Until the time of the apocalypse, Wovoka counselled the living to work for the dominant population and attempt to live a morally pure life. The plan for the future could only be assured if believers followed the special patterns and messages of the Ghost Dance, which Wovoka taught his followers.” End of quote.
Were his words recorded exactly? Is there any room for leeway? Is it 100% literal? Is it figurative? I don’t know. His prophesies scared some people. Wovoka himself told the people not to tell the white people about his prophesy. Therefore any knowledge of it found online might be a corruption of it. And that includes  every word I write about it.

The Wounded Knee Massacre
In 1890 a Paiute named Wovoka became father of a movement known as the “Ghost Dance”. This dance promised a great resurrection of cultures and peoples the U. S. government sought to eradicate, those cultures on this continent that predated European conquests. Many western tribes sought to cling to any hope that their entire way of life might not disappear forever. Wovoka’s prophesy was a means to cling to that hope. One great tribe of many bands were the Sioux of the Dakota Territories. The Ghost Dance became popular amongst some of them. 
The people would dance until they grew tired, and some fainted. This was repeated over and over. The government became scared of the dancers, and thought it was the beginning of an uprising. The government didn’t know what was going on, and let their imaginations run wild. They thought surely Sitting Bull had something to do with it. On December 15th, 1890 government men tried to arrest Sitting Bull, but they allowed themselves to get spooked and killed him instead.
On the 29th day of December, a group of Lakota Sioux under Big Foot were doing the Ghost Dance near Wounded Knee Creek when soldiers came upon them. The article I read said no one knows who started shooting first, but since all of the Lakota were killed, we don’t know their side of the story. I think there's a high probability that the soldiers fired both first, and last. It was said 150 were massacred by the soldiers with half of than number being women and children. Estimates of up to twice that number are mentioned.
The Ghost Dance didn’t appear to be working, in 1890. At this time, many tribes had become extinct, while for others only mixed race people were left to represent them. In every generation there appeared more and more Caucasian, and in every generation there appeared fewer and fewer Native Americans. The government hoped it was just a matter of time until the people all vanished. Could the Ghost Dance stop this trend, or was it a hoax?

Texas War of Independence and the War with Mexico
Here is a little history of the land of the Paiute that led up to the time of the Ghost Dance. Spain claimed the land of the Paiute. Mexico broke away from Spain. At the time Mexico included all the regions between Texas and California in the North of that country, including the land of the Paiute. At the same time the United States was expanding westwards. Soon a clash between Spanish and English culture erupted between their surrogates, the United States and Mexico.
Mexico decided to accept White immigration in Texas, and poor farmers flooded over the Texas border becoming subjects of Mexico. Texans eventually demanded independence from Mexico, which they won after a short war. In the 1840s a second war won great stretches of desert, prairie and mountains from Mexico by the United States. The entire region to the Pacific Coast was ceded to the United States. Here is a map showing the territory that changed hands in the Texas and Mexican wars. The Paiute people, who had been subjects of the Mexican Nation, became subjects of the United States.



The map above came from the following website; -- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdqL0nQ0ex2g6qKWxUngGGx3025hCgVWa4Bgcr-GIM7AWxXYlWUmJurHYOHcYuoI6-pZY5mAykynH35rfZR394jPt5dO3wYTR1YOhayrJz1zF-uyLQNoCXRaGiwrGyfPAecuAjIK-yAzp/s1600/EEUU+Guerra+Mexico-EEUU.jpg -- Land from Sacramento to Salt Lake City and Santa Fe had been part of Mexico. This entire region became part of the United States after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848.
The following year -- 1849 -- gold was discovered in California and the original Spanish and Indian population of California was over run by settlers hoping to cash in on “gold fever”. California’s Indian peoples were virtually exterminated overnight by greedy 49ers. The original Spanish population of Texas became a small minority, and her few remaining Indian peoples were shipped North to Oklahoma by the time of the Civil War or shortly thereafter. In 1875 the last Comanche warriors, Quanah’s band, were driven from their last stronghold, Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas panhandle, and the last Indian peoples were driven out of Texas.
It was after these events that Wovoka delivered his prophesy. His tribe, the Paiute, were native to some of the lands that changed hands in the Mexican War. 

Tribes Related to the Paiute
What if Wovoka’s prophesies were meant for the Paiute and their close relatives? Per linguist’s, here is a list of the tribes who speak a language closely related to Wovoka’s native language, the language of the Paiute peoples. It includes the Ute, Comanche, Hopi and others in the U. S., and the Aztecs and many others in Mexico, going as far south as Panama. In fact almost half of Mexico once spoke a related language. I found a list of languages related to the Paiute here -- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mesoamerican-Indian-languages#ref605206 .

Uto-Aztecan Language Group

I.                   Northern Uto-Aztecan
                           Numic 
Western Numic 
Northern Paiute (includes Paviotso, Bannock, and Snake)
Monache (aka Mono)
Central Numic 
Shoshone-Goshiute
Panamint
Comanche
Southern Numic 
Southern Paiute
Ute
Chemehuevi
Kawaiisu
Tübatulabal
Takic 
Serrano-Kitanemuk
Serrano
Kitanemuk
Cahuilla-Cupeño 
Cahuilla
Cupeño
Luiseño-Juaneño
Luiseño
Juaneño
Gabrielino-Fernandeño
Gabrielino
Fernandeño
Hopi

II.                Southern Uto-Aztecan 
Piman 
Pima-Papago (aka O’odham)
Pima Bajo
Northern Tepehuan–Southern Tepehuan
Northern Tepehuan
Southern Tepehuan
Tepecano
Taracahitic 
Tarahumaran 
Tarahumara
Guarijío
Tubar
Cahitan 
Yaqui
Mayo
Cahita
Ópatan 
Ópata
Eudeve
Corachol-Aztecan 
Cora-Huichol 
Cora
Huichol
Aztecan (aka Nahuan)
Pochutec (extinct)       
Core Nahua 
Nahuatl
Pipil (aka Nahuate, Nawat) 
In addition to these languages, there is a very long list of names identified in colonial and other early sources that are generally thought to represent extinct Uto-Aztecan groups, most in northern Mexico. No information has survived on most of these, and it is not certain whether they represent independent groups with their own languages or just alternative names for others already known. 
Map Showing the Locations of the Uto-Aztecan Peoples at the Time of Conquest
           Shades of gray on the map below are the locations where the Uto-Aztecan people traditionally were found. Of course in the modern era they have spread out over the countryside. The map below can also be found here online --
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher_Beekman 



World War Two and the Bracero Program
Decades passed without much change. Then in December 7th, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Butterfly effect -- changes in one part of the world can cause changes in other parts that were never expected.
After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, young American males left their farms and cities in droves, enlisting in the military. This led to serious problems. Many women had to work in factories and offices at jobs previously held by men. But there were still jobs that needed to be filled, and soon. Crops were maturing in the field in early 1942. Who would be there to harvest them in the fall? The United States government and the Mexican government got together, and the Bracero Program was begun. Bracero means (per wikipedia) “one who works with his arms” in Spanish.
The Bracero Program operated as a joint program under the State Department, the Department of Labor, and the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) in the Department of Justice. Under this pact, the laborers were promised decent living conditions in labor camps, such as adequate shelter, food and sanitation, as well as a minimum wage pay of 30 cents an hour. This program was intended to fill the labor shortage in agriculture brought on by World War Two. The program lasted 22 years and offered employment contracts to 5 million braceros in 24 U.S. states—becoming the largest foreign worker program in U.S. history.
Here is a link to a song written by Woody Guthrie, "Deportee"; as recorded by "The Last Internationle that speaks of the Bracero Program 

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRCyps1Lwyc

           U.S Department of State urged the bracero program to counter the popularity of communism in Mexico. Furthermore, it was seen as a way for Mexico to be involved in the Allied war effort. The first braceros were admitted on September 27, 1942, for the sugar-beet harvest season. From 1948 to 1964, the U.S. imported on average 200,000 braceros per year. 
The Catholic Church in Mexico was opposed to the Bracero program, objecting to the separation of husbands and wives and the resulting disruption of family life. The Church objected to the exposure of migrants to vices such as prostitution, alcoholism, and gambling that they found near their camps in the United States.
President Truman signed Public Law 78 in July 1951. Soon after it was signed, United States negotiators met with Mexican officials to prepare a new bilateral agreement. This agreement made it so that the U.S. government were the guarantors of the contract, not U.S. employers . . . The agreement set forth that all negotiations would be between the two governments.
These programs were in effect until 1964. During those years, (eyeballing the list) over four and a half million Mexican citizens entered the United States legally for seasonal farm labor. Some over stayed their work contracts and became illegal, sort of like the Whites who had illegally intruded onto Indian lands a century or more earlier. So in a sense, this was Indians returning to lands of their ancestors. Karma?

Mexican and Central American Immigration
            One thing rarely mentioned in the migration arguments about Mexican and Central Americans returning to the United States is that many of these people are Native American. The tribes many of the people belonged to settled on both sides of the border and originally spoke a language related to the language of Wovoko, Paiute prophet. Did he predict their return? Are they the fulfillment of the Ghost Dance Prophesy? I don’t know. I’m not superstitious. It could easily be a  coincidence. In previous years, many immigrants came from Mexico, where many people are related to the Paiute. More recently refugees from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador have flooded to the border, hoping a nation of immigrants would have pity on them in their time of need. But we see many people from these regions too spoke Uto-Aztecan languages. Due to gang violence, many of their lives are in danger. It is interesting that many relatives of Wovoka are the very people returning to the North in what could be considered, in a loose sense -- as a fulfillment of his prophesy -- or as I said -- it could be a coincidence. hmmm . . . the prophesy has to be nonsense, right?
If we are TRULY a Christian nation and possess Christin passion we will help the refugees! If our Christianity is as shallow as the swamp in the White House in Washington D. C., we won’t. I don't know if these events are a fulfillment of prophesy or not. 
But -- 
I am quite certain that the soul of America is being exposed. How will that go?