The Ghost Dance began as response to the years of warfare, oppression, and
poverty the Native Americans had suffered at the hands of white settlers. 
Wovoka originally organized the Ghost Dance movement in 1889 as a way of
redemption, calling for a reunion with dead ancestors in the next life,
and a return to the land.  Wovoka also called for hard work and
cooperation with the whites.  Followers of the Ghost Dance movement, which
swept eastward through the reservations, claimed that a messiah would soon
do away with settlers and return the lands to the Indians, while
resurrecting their dead ancestors.  The large size of the religious
gatherings spread fear among whites, which resulted in the tragedy at
Wounded Knee in December 1890.