La «Patchwork Religion» in prospettiva storica. Wovoka e la «Ghost Dance» del 1890

The social sciences have recognized in contemporary Western societies the existence of the «Patchwork Religion», a trend towards the construction of a spiritual experience characterized by the coexistence of elements from different religious traditions, exoteric and spiritual movements. The patchwork idea focuses on the centrality of the individual, who – more or less consciously – chooses to tap into different traditions to build a religious sensibility. History has not yet thoroughly taken into account the category of «Patchwork Religion». On the contrary, it has explored the concept of syncretism, as presence in a religious belief of mythic elements, organization and rituals from different traditions, mainly on collective experiences. Our goal is to propose a case study to explore the heuristic potential of the category «Patchwork Religion» in a historical research. The 1890 Ghost Dance and the teaching of the Northern Paiute Prophet Wovoka contain all the elements that permit its inclusion in the category: the revelation to an individual, the prophetic dimension, and the coexistence of different religious traditions (principally Paiute, Christian, Lakota) in a single message.