The Dances

The dances at Powwows have a strong personal and spiritual dimension. There are many different stories and interpretations for each dance, depending on tribal and family background. While they may differ in facts, they are all considered true...for truth can exist in many forms.

MEN'S TRADITIONAL DANCE - SNEAK UP

WOMEN'S TRADITIONAL DANCE

MEN'S GRASS DANCE

WOMEN'S JINGLE DANCE

MEN'S FANCY DANCE

WOMEN'S FANCY SHAWL DANCE

MEN'S CALUMET DANCE - PEACEPIPE DANCE

WOMEN'S BLANKET DANCE

MEN'S TRADITIONAL DANCE - SNEAK UP

This is the oldest form of dance in the Native American culture. The regalia is often thought to represent the animals that the Creator put on the earth. The movements tell of warrior actions-hunting, stalking the game, battling an enemy. The regalia is a very personal expression of creativity and artistry. While there is no prescribed look, several elements might reflect items worn by early warriors: a breast plate made of animal bones or shell for protection against arrows; a neck choker for protection against knives; ankle bells or jingling hooves; or a shield made of hide and decorated with important tribal symbols. Sometimes a traditional dancer will wear a single bustle containing eagle feathers, which are considered sacred to the Native American people. The eagle flies the highest and carries the prayers of the people to the Creator. Eagle feathers are traditionally awarded for feats of bravery or accomplishment.

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WOMEN'S TRADITIONAL DANCE

Woman's traditional dance requires enormous stamina, concentration and grace. The movements are very focused. Women move their feet in time with the drum keeping them close to the ground. As the drum plays "honor beats," women raise their fans to honor the drum and their male relatives. An important element of women's traditional dance is the regalia. Women's traditional regalia will usually include a fringed shawl held gracefully folded over one arm, an awl and knife case on the belt and a feather (often eagle ) fan. Southern or Oklahoma style women's traditional often feature buckskin or cloth outfits to go with their more overt rhythmic dance movement. The regalia will feature beautiful beadwork (usually created by the woman dancer) in patterns and colors that reflect tribal and family affiliation. Dakota patterns, for instance, often are in rainbow colors and geometric in shape, representing the colors and patterns of their homeland on the plains. The Ojibwe or Winnebago ragalia often reflect floral patterns and woodland colors showing the woodland Native American influence.

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MEN'S GRASS DANCE

Several stories about the beginnings of the grass dance are told. One tells of the grass dance coming from the movements of the early scouts seeking a site. The grass being high in new areas, the scouts would dance in a special way to flatten the grass and make it acceptable for a new camp or meeting site. The grass dance movements also reflect warrior movements such as stalking the game or enemy and fighting the enemy (including one movement representing one of the warrior's legs being staked and unable to move and battling with this leg in a held position). The grass dance is often said to reflect the need for balance in life; each movement that is danced on one side must be repeated by the other side. Some people talk of the grass dance as a gift from the Creator to celebrate joy. There is rich lore surrounding this dance. The regalia for the dance is comprised of long strands of yarn, ribbon or fabric attached to a base outfit to represent grass or in some theories the scalps of enemies. A headdress called a roach is worn. The roach has two feathers attached in such a way that they rock or twirl as the dancer moves. As in all the dances, the dancer must move with the beats of the drum ending with both feet on the ground on the final beat.

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WOMEN'S JINGLE DRESS DANCE

This dance has its origins in northern Minnesota and was introduced to the Native American community by the Ojibwe people. As the story goes, a medicine man's granddaughter was very ill. He had a dream in which a spirit wearing the jingle dress came to him and told him to make one of these dresses and put it on his daughter to cure her. When he awoke, he and his wife proceeded to assemble the dress as described by the spirit of his dream. When finished, they and others brought his granddaughter to the dance hall and she put on the dress. During the first circle around the room, she needed to be carried. During the second circle around the room, she could barely walk and needed the assistance of several women. The third circle around the room she found she could walk without assistance and during the fourth circle around the room, she danced. The jingle dress is made of a cloth, velvet or leather base adorned with jingles made out of a shiny metal. Traditionally and still common today, the jingles are made from the lids of snuff cans. These are bent and molded into triangular bell shapes and attached to the dress with ribbon or fabric in a pattern designed by the dancer. It takes between 400 and 700 jingles to make an adult jingle dress.

The dance itself is designed to incorporate the sound of the jingles by allowing them to move; that is, to make them jingle, or be made "happy." The steps are controlled and do not involve high kicking or twirls. Often the steps are in a zigzag pattern to reflect the zigzagging involved in the journey of life. Similar to Men's Grass dancing, the feet often do parallel movements. Similar to a Women's Traditional dancer, the Jingle Dress dancer also raises her fan when the "honor beats" are played on the drum. As in all dances, the Jingle Dress dancer must stay in time with the drum beat and stop with both feet on the ground on the final beat.

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MEN'S FANCY DANCE

One of the more modern dances in the PowWow, Men's Fancy dance is the most strenuous and athletic. To be good at this dance, the dancer must train for stamina and agility. The dance is fast and features jumps and twirling. The regalia is said to represent the rainbow spirits in its bright colors and flying feathers and ribbons. The Men's Fancy dancer typically wears two bustles of bright colored feathers with added ribbon, feather or horse hair hackles and bright arm and head bands repeating the colors and patterns. The dancer also wears a headdress roach trimmed in colored horsehair and featuring two eagle feathers. The roach is designed to keep the feathers either spinning or rocking in movement. It is part of the dance to keep the feathers moving constantly throughout the song. Dancers also carry coup sticks which are highly decorated with ribbons or feathers. The coup stick was originally a small stick carried into battle by a warrior. It was considered a great sign of bravery if you were able to touch your enemy with your coup stick (much more brave than killing your enemy).

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WOMEN'S FANCY SHAWL DANCE

This is the most modern of the women's dances. Some say it was originally called the blanket dance and women danced with a blanket or shawl covering their heads. It was called Graceful Shawl dance in the '60s and the dance steps were closer to the ground and smaller than what is performed today. This is an extremely athletic and strenuous dance involving kicks and twirls and fast movement. It parallels the Men's Fancy Bustle dance in speed and style. Women dance with beautifully decorated shawls often with long ribbon or fabric fringe. The regalia of this dance also includes beaded high moccasins. The symbols and colors beaded on the moccasins have tribal and or personal significance to the dancer.

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MEN'S CALUMET DANCE - PEACEPIPE DANCE

 This dance starts out with the dancers bending one knee forward, while the other leg is extended backward behind them. The dancers also extend their arms out to their sides and they look up towards the sky, representing a flying eagle soaring high in the air. The dancers slowly hop up on their extended foot as the drum beat picks up in rhythm and then the dancers go around the circle, as if they were hunting or stalking their enemy. When the drum beat changes its tempo to the original starting beat, then the dancers get back down in their original starting positions to repeat the dance routine around the circle again. In some cases, there is an eagle feather that's placed down on the ground in front of the dancer and they have the opportunity to pick the feather up between their nose and upper lip while they are extended in the eagle form of the dance. Should the dancer successfully pick up the feather, without using their hands and not losing their balance, then they get to keep the feather to utilize with their regalia. The dance got its name from the way the dancers are positioned when they first start the dance, because they look like a peace pipe.

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WOMEN'S BLANKET DANCE

 This dance starts out with the women having their blanket or shawl pulled up and over their head, with the dancers pointing to the four directions of Mother Earth.  The dancers then open their blankets down to their shoulders, opening it from one side to the other as they begin to go around the circle.  The dancers move their feet in rhythm to the drum, while they bend their knees, and perform circular turns to the left and right.  Traditionally, married women, or those who have been spoken for or are otherwise unavailable tend to dance with one side of the blanket covering their face as they perform their dance.  Women who were available or were looking for a partner kept their blanket down and obviously more open, to express their intent for this purpose.  As with all other dances, the women would end their dance with both feet on the ground when the song ends.

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