The Ghost Dance became most popular in times of the Indian War; it was a religious movement lead by a Paiute shaman called Wovoka. Wovoka called himself the Messiah and prophesied that the dead would soon join the living in a world in which the Indians could live in their old way. Believing in this promised reunion with friends and relatives of the ghost world and the return to the days of their glory many Indians followed his words - and the movement spread from tribe to tribe. Also emissaries from the Sioux in South Dakota traveled to Nevada to hear his words. Among his most famous followers was Chief Si Tanka, who practiced the Ghost Dance until he was defeated at Wounded Knee in 1890 - with Si Tanka's death in 1890 the Ghost Dance movement was finally destroyed.
The Ghost Dance movement became one of the most frightening movements of Indians to white settlers.

THE BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN

The legendary battle of Little Bighorn take place on June 25, 1876 in Montana near the Little Bighorn River, called the Greasy Grass by Native American. It was a battle between the 7th Cavalry of the U.S. army, leaded under General Custer and guided by Crow and Arikara, and several bands of Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho. This battle was also known as "Custer's Last Stand" because his troops were destroyed while attempting a surprise attack on Lakota chief Sitting Bull's encampment. All in all the Lakota Sioux defeat 12 companies of the 7th Cavalry.

But the essential irony of the Battle of the Little Bighorn is that the victors lost their nomadic way of life shortly after their victory.
The heroic sacrifice of Native Americans who struggled to preserve and defend their homeland and traditional way of life has never been formally recognized until recently; only in 1991 did the U.S. Congress order the construction of an Indian Memorial, changing the name of the battlefield.

The massacre of Wounded Knee in 1890

The background of this massacre on December 29, 1890 was the U.S. army's attempt to arrest the Sioux leader Chief Si Tanka, also known as Big Foot.
Si Tanka and 350 of his followers were camping at the banks of the Wounded Knee creek when they were surrounded by the U.S. troops. In the morning of December 29 the U.S. army suddenly opened fire on the Sioux camp and massacred about 300 Sioux - among them were even women and children. - In contrast, only 25 U.S. army soldiers lost their lives there.
A few days later the army returned to finish their job and the fighting continued.

 

One of the most important results of the massacre at Wounded Knee was that it effectively destroyed the Ghost Dance movement and ended the Indian Wars.
Nowadays, a single stone monument marks the site of the Wounded Knee massacre.

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