Wovoka

Wovoka (presumably, the cuts ', also called Wevokar, Cowejo, Wopokahte, Kwohitsauq, Quoitze, Jackson Wilson, John Johnson or Jack Wilson, * 1856, † September 20, 1932 in Walker Valley, Nevada, United States) was an influential prophet Paviotso the Paiute Indians.

Wovoka was the son of a Paiute medicine man named Tävibo. In his youth he worked for a family in his native valley Wilson and learned English.

Wovoka was mid 30's as American Indian Messiah, or at least prophet who taught a dance that became known as the Ghost Dance.

During the solar eclipse on January 1, 1888, he is said to have had a vision of a new world. In it, he experienced a vision of the Christian God, who told him the message that the red man, if he peacefully against the white invaders behaves, the kingdom of God is seen. In addition, the ghost dance he was ordered, which will lead the Indians into a new era. In some stories he even said to have the stigmata ( the wounds of Christ ). The Indians for the new religion spread quickly.

However, a Sioux shaman named Kicking Bear ( Minneconjou ) interpreted the dance as well as the "new" religion completely different. He spread that at the coming of this new world, major natural disasters would wipe out the whites and that only spared them the dancing Indians. After that the Indians should be able to return as the only survivors back to their traditional way of life. Kicking Bear further stated that a particular gown that was admixed with powerful symbols that would make the dancers inviolable.

Although the Sioux chief Sitting Bull promoted the Ghost Dance among his people, but was aware of the potential difficulties that could trigger these dances by the coincidence of many Indians with the white soldiers, aware. An intervention by the U.S. Army because of the dances led in 1890 to Sitting Bull 's death, triggering a short time after the massacre at Wounded Knee from.