Oscar Howe's painting, Ghost Dance, depicts the Native American "Ghost Dance" religion which gained a huge following toward the end of the 19th century. In 1890, Wovoka, a Paiute prophet, revived the religion, which had been founded by his father twenty years earlier. Followers believed that by performing the ritual dance, they would return loved ones (both people and animals) from the dead and would restore the land to the Native people. They also believed that the clothing worn in the dance would protect them from bullets or other instruments of attack. As the movement gained strength, the U.S. government became increasingly alarmed because of the large gatherings of Native American people that the dances attracted. Finally, in 1884, the government issued a decree banning the Ghost Dance. Then, in 1890, the Lakota Sioux defied the ban and held a dance. Federal troops were dispatched and fired on a group of Lakota Sioux who were camped near a South Dakota creek, killing some 200 men, women, and children. This sorry event became known as the Massacre at Wounded Knee.

To see the rest of the images, either click on the name of the artist in the list below or, if you prefer, take a leisurely Survey of Religion, clicking on the "next" arrows at the bottom of each page (including this one). You can get the title of the work by passing your mouse over the image if you use Internet Explorer. Firefox users right click on the image, then choose Properties. The title will show up under "Alternate text".

Each of the images is accompanied by a link to the place from whence it came. Most of the links go to graphics sites, which tend to carry heavy traffic. The result is that you may have problems connecting to them. Keep at it -- most of the sites are well worth the trouble.

Be sure to visit us again toward the end of next month, when we will engage in Commerce.