The Ghost Dance: Ethnohistory and Revitalization - Softcover

Alice Beck Kehoe

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1577664531 ISBN 13: 9781577664536

Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc, 2006

Synopsis

In this fascinating ethnohistorical case study of North American Indians, the Ghost Dance religion is the backbone for Kehoe’'s exploration of significant aspects of American Indian life and her quest to learn why some theories become popular. In Part 1, she combines knowledge gained from her firsthand experiences living among and speaking with Indian elders with a careful analysis of historical accounts, providing a succinct yet insightful look at people, events, and institutions from the 1800s to the present. She clarifies unique and complex relationships among Indian peoples and dispels many of the false pretenses promoted by United States agencies over two centuries. In Part 2, Kehoe surveys some of the theories used to analyze the events described in Part 1, allowing readers to see how theories develop, to think critically about various perspectives, and to draw their own conclusions. Kehoe's gripping presentation and analysis pave the way for just and constructive Indian–-White relations.

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About this title

From the Publisher:

Other Waveland Press titles by Alice Beck Kehoe: Shamans and Religion: An Anthropological Exploration in Critical Thinking (ISBN 9781577661627) and The Kensington Runestone: Approaching a Research Question Holistically (ISBN 9781577663713). Titles of related interest also from Waveland Press: Garbarino-Sasso, Native American Heritage, Third Edition (ISBN 9780881337730); Hultkrantz, Native Religions of North America: The Power of Visions and Fertility (ISBN 9780881339857); and Johnson, Also Called Sacajewa: Chief Woman's Stolen Identity (ISBN 9781577665342).

From the Back Cover:

“Kehoe’s The Ghost Dance is a first-rate analysis of the effects of culture contact on Native American societies as manifested in changing religious practice and worldview over the course of a century or more. While ostensibly focusing on the life of Jack Wilson (Wovoka) and the Ghost Dance, Kehoe examines other prophets and other cultural developments in both earlier and later times. All of this she contextualizes in the economic, political, and social milieu of the day. Included here is a concise history of the complex relations between Native American tribes and American and European societies from the sixteenth century up through to the present day. The personal details of her research, as both preface and epilogue, also reveals the changing nature of anthropology itself and of anthropologist’s relationships with members of other cultural groups. Kehoe’s engaging critical anthropological and historical analysis of the Ghost Dance and other revitalization movements should be required reading of all students of anthropology, Native Studies, religion, and related areas of study. As with many of A. C. Wallace’s seminal publications on culture change, Kehoe’s work has comparable longevity and continued relevance.” — George Nicholas, Simon Fraser University
“. . . an enjoyable and valuable read.” — Ethnohistory (Fall 2006)
“The Ghost Dance, 2/E, provides the perfect scholarly background I need to complement two feature-length films and a documentary that deal with historical and contemporary events surrounding Wounded Knee that I will show my class. The case study is an excellent way to bring the relationship between past and present issues into vivid focus for those who have no previous exposure to contemporary Native peoples, and Kehoe’s book is written in an engaging style that will be accessible to the undergraduates in my course.” — Cory Willmott, Southern Illinois University
“Kehoe provides a thorough overview of a complex and representative cultural movement and historical event. A must-read for students of Native American history and culture.” — Brian Campbell, University of Central Arkansas

About this edition

• Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1577664531
• ISBN 13: 9781577664536
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 186