What inspired ghost dances?

The Ghost Dance religion arose in the late 19th century among Native American tribes of the Great Plains and Great Basin regions of the United States. Influenced by earlier 19th-century revitalization movements such as the Smohalla cult, the Ghost Dance religion was inspired by a vision experienced by a Paiute medicine man named Wovoka (Jack Wilson) in 1889. Wovoka preached a message of hope and redemption for Native American tribes, combining elements of Christianity and traditional Native American beliefs.

The Ghost Dance religion promised that the spirits of the deceased ancestors would return to Earth and help their descendants overcome the oppression and difficulties they faced from European colonizers. Wovoka taught that this would happen if the Native Americans performed a specific dance and sang a certain set of songs. The Ghost Dance movement spread quickly among different tribes, inspiring hope for a better future and resistance to colonial policies.