American Indian Culture and Research Journal

Recently (Thornton 1981) differential participation of American Indian tribes in the 1890 Ghost Dance was analyzed. Viewing the movement as an attempted demographic revitalization in response to population decimations, tribal participation was predicted to be related positively to preceding population declines and negatively to absolute population size. A strong negative relationship between size and participation was found, with smaller tribes participating almost always. Population changes were found to have also influenced participation but very differently for tribes of different sizes. The 1890 Ghost Dance was actually a separate, later manifestation of an earlier Ghost Dance of 1870. The two movements had the same central objective of restoring to life deceased American Indian populations by the performance of prescribed dances (Kroeber, 1904:34-35; 1925:868). Both also emanated from the same location in western Nevada. They spread in basically different directions, however. The 1890 movement spread primarily into the great plains, the Southwest and what is now western Oklahoma. The 1870 one, in contrast, was limited primarily to western Nevada and portions of Oregon and California (Kroeber, 1925:868-73; Mooney, 1896:Plate LXXXV).