Harold Miller from Yerington, NV and Raymond Hofer from Walker Paiute Tribe speak about the history of the Ghost Dance as it had been taught by Wovoka (main character within this narrative) a Paiute medicine man. They explain the creation, outlawing, and revitalization of the Ghost Dance and how it moved from outside Paiute country and was assimilated into other tribes. Moreover, they explain how those other tribes helped to bring it back to where the Ghost Dance originated from. Harold also speaks about certain customs and traditions which have not been practiced as diligently by recent generations, and warns the audience about the consequences of not doing so.
Video pendingBeverly Brazzanovich and Harold Miller are both Paiute from eastern Nevada. Harold Miller was born in 1927, and whose native name is Bazinokwah, is from the Walker River reservation near Schurz, NV. Beverly Brazzanovich, on the other hand, heralds from the Pyramid Lake Tribe by Pyramid Lake, NV. Harold begins the interview by speaking about the Depression and how many natives worked on ranches, and how his parents met one another at Stewart Indian School and eventually married. He also speaks of his childhood, being raised by his grandparents, and going to the Indian School in Schurz. Likewise, Beverly was partially raised by her grandparents on a homestead or ranch called the Potato Patch. Both speak of the native Paiute culture including women’s rights of passage, hunting practices, religious teachings, taboos, folk tales, and harvesting practices. They both emphasize how the younger generations, by means of assimilation and contact with other groups, have lost many indigenous cultural practices including their native language.
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