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Wovoka was a Northern Paiute holy man and seer whose vision during a solar eclipse on New Year's Day, 1889 resulted in a part-Christian, part-Native American traditional religion movement centered around the ritualistic and repeated performance of the Ghost Dance.
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Fast Facts:
- Born: 1856, near Carson City, Nevada
- Tribe: Northern Paiute
- Also known as: Jack Wilson
- Died: September 20, 1932
- Preached non-violence, immortality, and salvation
- His Ghost Dance spread rapidly to other tribes
- The Ghost Dance Movement lasted just two years
- End of movement came with the Wounded Knee Massacre
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Life
Born outside present-day Carson City, Nevada, Wovoka was taken in by the family of David Wilson, a white, devoutly Christian rancher as a teenager. In 1889, Wovoka, having already established himself as a renowned shaman, began to make prophecies which resembled those of an earlier Native American shaman, Tavibo. Many assumed Tavibo to be Wovoka's father, but this has never been confirmed. Wovoka had an apocalyptic vision that saw a day when whites would disappear and Native Americans would live in an abundant land free of disease or war, if only a particular round dance—the "Ghost Dance"—were performed often and vigorously enough. -
The Vision Spreads
When word spread of Wovoka's vision, tribes across the western United States began performing the dance. Eventually, the dance spread to the Lakota Sioux, some of whom came to believe that by wearing white "Ghost Shirts", they could deflect the bullets of U.S. soldiers surrounding their reservation. In December, 1890, more than 153 Lakota Sioux men, women, and children were killed during an encounter with U.S. troops following unrest at the reservation over the Ghost Dance. Wovoka was discredited after the incident and spent his remaining days exhibiting himself at county fairs or appearing as an extra in movie westerns. He died in 1932. -
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Wovoka Timeline
- 1856: Wovoka born in Nevada
- 1880: Wovoka travels and learns of Smohalla's religion
- 1888: Returns to Paiute territory
- 1889: Has his vision during solar eclipse, Ghost Dance Movement begins and spreads east
- 1889: The Sioux Tribe send a delegation to Wavoka to learn the Ghost Dance
- 1892: James Mooney visits Wovoka
- 1896: Mooney publishes Ghost Dance Religion
- 1932: Wovoka dies and is buried in Nevada
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