The American Indian Ghost Dance, 1870 and 1890: An Annotated Bibliography

(Hardback)

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The Ghost Dance Movements of 1868-72 and 1888-91 have fascinated historians, sociologists, and anthropologists since the time they first occurred. Embraced by American Indians of the Plains, Great Basin, and the Northwest Plateau, the religion of the Ghost Dance promised that all dead families and friends would return, the white men would disappear, and buffalo and other game would again roam the earth. The message spread quickly and, particularly between 1889 and 1891, had the effect of uniting many hitherto scattered tribes. Materials concerning the Ghost Dance movements are available from many sources, among them the American Indians, the military, settlers, newspaper reporters, and subsequent historians. Shelley Anne Osterreich has collected and annotated a selection of this material. Included are most of the major works on the Ghost Dance and its attendant features. Osterreich's bibliography will contribute significantly to our ability to understand the ultimate effect of the Ghost Dance and what lessons we can learn from this period of cultural upheaval and intense suffering.

Reviews

Osterreich has compiled a short, selective bibliography of considerable merit on a phenomenon of great importance in Native American history, American religious history, and anthropology. Consisting of 110 entries, each extensively annotated, the work provides a useful overview of the two Ghost Dance movements, as well as events before and after, and points to the various directions research has followed. Items included are from as early as 1890 and are as current as the late 1980s. Materials are grouped into seven subject areas, with headings such as "Personal Narratives and Biographies," and "Tribal Histories"; by far the longest section is "Anthropological Theory." An introduction and subject and author indexes complete the volume. There are several shortcomings, first and foremost brevity. Considering the much larger literature from which the compiler drew, a larger bibliography is in order to help the researcher and the student. There are also a number of typos, including at least one that results in a citation error. Finally, this reviewer is mystified as to why the entries are numbered, but the indexes refer to page numbers. In all, this is a good bibliography that could have been better; it is far too expensive for its size. Both college and university libraries.-Choice
"Osterreich has compiled a short, selective bibliography of considerable merit on a phenomenon of great importance in Native American history, American religious history, and anthropology. Consisting of 110 entries, each extensively annotated, the work provides a useful overview of the two Ghost Dance movements, as well as events before and after, and points to the various directions research has followed. Items included are from as early as 1890 and are as current as the late 1980s. Materials are grouped into seven subject areas, with headings such as "Personal Narratives and Biographies," and "Tribal Histories"; by far the longest section is "Anthropological Theory." An introduction and subject and author indexes complete the volume. There are several shortcomings, first and foremost brevity. Considering the much larger literature from which the compiler drew, a larger bibliography is in order to help the researcher and the student. There are also a number of typos, including at least one that results in a citation error. Finally, this reviewer is mystified as to why the entries are numbered, but the indexes refer to page numbers. In all, this is a good bibliography that could have been better; it is far too expensive for its size. Both college and university libraries."-Choice

Author Bio

SHELLEY ANNE OSTERREICH is Assistant Librarian at Central Connecticut State University.