“What did the “hostiles” do? So far it appears to be a white man’s war” (qtd. in Hines 30). The Indians killed at Wounded Knee did not commit any crimes on their reservation before the battle (Hines 36), they only practiced religion. The Ghost Dance movement resulted in a massacre at Wounded Knee that had a lasting impact on many people. The Ghost Dance religion began with a man named Wovoka. On January 1, 1889, he had a “vision” during a solar eclipse in Nevada (Peterson 27). This brought a message of hope to the oppressed Indians regarding only living Indians. The Indians called Wovoka the “Messiah” (“The Dance of the Ghosts” par. 1) and it was believed that he would bring a “day of deliverance” (Phillips 16) to the Indians. It was said that the Messiah would return to earth so that all white men would disappear and the buffalo and their ancestors would return (Peterson 27). Wovoka's vision was: The Indians who danced the Dance of Ghosts would rise into the sky while God would cover the white man with a new earth. Then the Ghost Dancers joined their ancestors in a land filled with buffalo and game. The water would be fresh, the grass would be green and there would be no more white men. (“The Dance of the Ghosts” par. 5) The Indians who participated in this ritual fasted and took sweat baths. Afterwards, everyone painted their faces and put eagle feathers in their hair. They wore muslin shirts depicting eagle feathers, ravens, and other significant symbols (Peterson 27). Some believed that these shirts called Ghost Shirts would be able to deflect bullets (Robertson par. 2). A healer said before the massacre: “The grassland is vast and their bullets will fly over the grasslands and not come towards us. If...... middle of paper ...... fix the problem at Wounded Knee. Wild West 23.4 (2010): 28-36. Historical Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. April 6, 2015. Koster, John. “Sioux Agent Daniel F. Royer Saw Dancing and Panicked.” Wild West 23.4 ( 2010): 24. MAS Ultra - School Edition, April 12, 2015. Peterson, Nancy M. “Wounded at Wounded Knee” Wild West 17.2 (2004): 22-30. History Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. April 12, 2015. Phillips, Charles. “December 29, 1890.” American History 40.5 (2005): 16. MAS Ultra - School Edition EBSCO. Web. April 6, 2015. Robertson, Paul M. “Wounded Knee Massacre, 1890.” Encyclopedia of North American Indians (Houghton Mifflin). EBSCO. Web. April 12, 2015. Smith, Gene “Lost Bird.” American Heritage 47.2 (1996): 38. MAS Ultra – School Edition April 6.. 2015.