For the Paiute of the late 1800s, the “Ghost Dance" promised a new world where the beloved dead would return home and white settlers would disappear into the earth. It was a dance of hope and rebalance in a world devastated by U.S. policies bent on the destruction of Native cultures and sovereignty. This new dance was – and still is – often referred to as a ‘religion’ by outsiders, even though the very words ‘religion’, ‘magic’, and ‘spirituality’ are external ideas historically imposed upon indigenous practices. This story of the Ghost Dance is a story of grief, renewal and political resistance. But the story of Native dances and Ceremonies – and efforts by the U.S. government over the decades to restrict them – is also the story of just how limited the word ‘religion’ really is.
Featuring Jennifer Graber, Abel Gomez, Tria Blu Wakpa.
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