The Ghost Dance: A vision of hope and tragedy

Northern Paiute leader Wovoka sparked the movement after a vision during the 1889 solar eclipse.

Believers performed circular dances to reunite with ancestors and restore a world free of colonial expansion.

Outsiders often wrongly feared the ritual was a precursor to violent uprisings or military conflict.

The movement faced a brutal crackdown culminating in the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre of Lakota people.

It remains a symbol of Indigenous resilience and the fight for religious freedom after decades of suppression.