Major Publication on the Ghost Dance Religion, Mormons, and American Indians Reissued

Online, January 26, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Bauu Institute and Press, a leading research institute and publisher of books, news, and information on indigenous peoples around the world is pleased to announce the publication of Mormons, Indians, and the Ghost Dance Religion of 1890, Second Edition. On the occasion Director Peter N. Jones, Ph.D. explained the importance of the publication: "With this book, Dr. Barney has presented an informative historical analysis of both the Ghost Dance Religion and Mormonism, two phenomena that arose in the American West during the 19th century. Until now these two phenomena - which have played large roles in the history of the American West - have been examined in isolation of each other. With the release of the second edition of Mormons, Indians, and the Ghost Dance Religion of 1890, these two phenomena are examined together, providing important insights into the history of this period."

The book reviews the 1841 meeting between Joseph Smith and a group of Sac and Fox Indians, the 1851 ordination of four Ute Indians as priests of the church, making them eligible to wear temple garments and having a strong symbolic parallel to the Ghost Dance shirts, the coincidence of 1890 having been set as the year of the Second Coming both by the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith and the Paiute Indian prophet Wovoka, as well as the acceptance by some Mormons of Wovoka as the spiritual manifestation of the Nephites (immortal humans of great righteousness).

As Paul M. Edwards of Baker University notes in the Forward, "In this study, Dr. Garold Barney has done an excellent job of reflecting both Mormon thought and the Indian concepts behind the Ghost Dance Religion. These two phenomena have existed in the history of the American West for a long time but it has taken Dr. Barney, following the footsteps of Dr. Coates, to make a good case for their relationship. I would recommend Barney's work to anyone interested in Mormons, the Plains Indians, the Ghost Dance Religion, or anyone with a general interest in the religious movements in the American West."

With the re-release and update of this landmark study, Dr. Barney has succeeded in contributing a major publication to our understanding of this pivotal period in the history of American Indians, the American West, and Mormon history. Information on the book can be found here:
http://www.bauuinstitute.com/Publishing/GhostDanceReligion.html

The Bauu Institute and Press is a science and applied research institute. Since 1998 the Institute has conducted a wide range of environmental, psychological, and social science projects. The Institute works on a range of local, state, federal, and tribal based levels, and is especially adept at working with indigenous peoples.