MOONEY] 



THE DANCE AMONG THE SIOUX 797 



was translated by an Indian for Miss EmmaO. Sickels and is published 

 by her courtesy. The copy of the original Sioux manuscript is in the 

 archives of the Bureau of Ethnology : 



In the story of ghost dancing, the Ogalala heard that the Son of God was truly on 

 earth in the west from their country. This was in the year 1889. The first people 

 knew about the messiah to be on earth were the Shoshoni and Arapaho. So in 1889 

 Good Thunder with four or five others visited the place where Son of God said to be. 

 These people went there without permission. They said the messiah was there at 

 the place, but he was there to help the Indians and not the whites ; so this made the 

 Indians happy to find out this. Good Thunder, Cloud Horse, Yellow Knife, and 

 Short Bull visited the place again in 1890 and saw the messiah. Their story of visit 

 to the messiah is as follows: 



"From the country where the Arapaho and Shoshoni we start in the direction of 

 northwest in train for five nights and arrived at the foot of the Rocky mountains. 

 Here we saw him and also several tribes of Indians. The people said that the mes- 

 siah will come at a place in the woods where the place was prepare for him. When 

 we went to the place a smoke descended from heaven to the place where he was to 

 come. When the smoke disappeared, there was a man of about forty, which was the 

 Sou of God. The man said: 



"'My grandchildren! I am glad you have come far away to see your relatives. 

 This are°your people who have come back from your country.' When he said he 

 want us to go with him, we looked and we saw a land created across the ocean on 

 which all the nations of Indians were coming home, but, as the messiah looked at 

 the laud which was created aud reached across the ocean, again disappeared, saying 

 that it was not time for that to take place. The messiah then gave to Good Thun- 

 dor some paints— Indian paint and a white paint— a green grass [sagebrush twigs?] ; 

 and said, 'My grandchildren, when you get home, go to farming and send all your 

 children to school. And on way home if you kill any buffalo cut the head, the tail, 

 and the four feet and leave them, and that buffalo will come to live again. When the 

 soldiers of the white people chief want to arrest me, I shall stretch out my arms, 

 which will knock them to nothingness, or, if not that, the earth will open and swal- 

 low them in. My father commanded me to visit the Indians on a purpose. I have 

 came to the white people first, but they not good. They killed me, and you can see 

 the marks of my wounds on my feet, my hands, and on my back. My father has 

 given you life— your old life— and you have come to see your friends, but you will 

 not take me home with you at this time. I want you to tell when you get home 

 your people to follow my examples. Any one Indian does not obey me and tries to 

 be on white's side will be covered over by a new land that is to come over this old 

 one. You will, all the people, use the paints aud grass I give you. In the spring 

 when the green grass comes, your people who have gone before you will come back, 

 and you shall see your friends then, for you have come to my call.'"' 



The people from every tipi send for us to visit them. They are people who died 

 many years ago. Chasing Hawk, who died not long ago. was there, and we went to 

 his tipi. He was living with his wife, who was killed in war long ago. They live 

 in a buffalo skin tipi— a very large one— and he wanted all his friends to go there to 

 live A son of Good Thunder who died in war long ago was one who also took us 

 to his tipi so his father saw him. When coming we come to a herd of buffaloes. We 

 killed one and took everything except the four feet, head, and tail, and when we 

 came a little ways from it there was the buffaloes come to life again and went off. 

 This was one of the messiah's word came to truth. The messiah said, " I will short 

 your journey when you feel tired of the long ways, if you call upon me." This 

 we did when we were tired. The night came upon us, we stopped at a place, and 

 we called upon the messiah to help us, because we were tired of long journey. We 

 went to sleep aud in the morning wo found ourselves at a great distance from where 

 we stopped. 



