The Souix were suffering poverty and diseases. So they turned to a Paiute prophet, who promised that if the Souix performed the Ritual "Ghost Dance" their land would be restored. The Ghost movement spread rapidly amoung the 25,000 Soiux on the Dakota reservation. Goverment soldiers thought the dance was to try to re-take back the land they lost, and revolt against their new goverment, but it was actually to resore their land with herds of buffalo and bring back their ansestors.
December 1890 about 40 Native American police were sent to arrest Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull`s friend and body guard Catch-the-Bear, shot at one of them,so they killed Sitting Bull. When Big foot, the souix cheif heard of sitting bulls death he guided his people 150 miles from the cheyenne river reservation to seek protection at Pine Ridge because cheif Red cloud promised to welcome them.Fearing the safety of his people Big foot and some of his men moved torward the soliers with a white flag of truce. cavalry Major Samuel M. Whiteside said there would be no fighting if Big foot gave them all his weapons and to come under military control. Big foot agreed and lead them to Wounded knee creek. The next morning the souix were surrounded by the calvery and ordered to release their weapons. The souix had understod that if they were to relases their weapons they would be able to finish their journey to Pine Ridge. The Battle was thought to have been started by a deaf souix who didn`t understand the order to release his weapon, and that began the whole slaughter of innocent men,women,and children.
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