Powwow dancers in step with Native culture and tradition

Joelle Peters

10/2/2003 12:00:00 AM

Just as dancing has always maintained a special significance to Native people-whether medicinal or social, traditional or competitive-the regalia cloaking each dancer retains its own spiritual value.

The dedication and care sewn into each piece is a large reflection of the individual creating the regalia. New traditions mingle with old, telling a different story for each person.

The community often only sees the finished result, the intricate beadwork and beautiful details, overlooking the hard work and many hours spent from concept to completion.

Traditional Men Dancers: Traditional male and female dancers preserve the oldest style of Native American dancing. The older male dancers sometimes use storytelling movements to act out feats of bravery, imitating animals with side-to-side movements, challenging an enemy or representing an animal in a story of war, battle or hunting. The headdress, called a roach, is made of porcupine hair and deer tail. The porcupine quill ornament supports the feathers and symbolizes all existence. Some wear a turban of otter, wolf or other material.

A bustle-most frequently handed down from generation to generation-is made of sacred eagle feathers. A breech cloth and leggings made of deer or elk skin are worn along with bells to keep in step with the beat of the drum.

"The hard work that goes into making something beautiful all pays off in the end," said Patrick Collins, regalia workshop instructor at the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College. "Men traditional dancers show who they are and where they come from through their regalia."

Traditional Women Dancers: Traditional women dancers are an affirmation of ageless honor and respect for Mother Earth, giver of life and the Creator. Though times have changed and brightly colored satins and ribbons are seen now, dresses of deerskin and wool-usually adorned with beads or quill work, elk teeth, bone or antler shells-traditionally decorate a dancer's regalia. Long, flowing fringes represent waterfalls. Some still follow that tradition today.

"The beadwork and ribbon work is a lot to undertake," stated traditional dancer Anita Herd. "You have to be very dedicated. And your regalia is never complete; you always find new ideas."

Dancers carry a shawl on their arms into the Sacred Circle. Northern dancers may remain in one position or area, while southern dancers may move clockwise around the drum. The essence of the dance is dancing in perfect harmony with the drum, never breaking the spirit. Spectators stand to honor the women who possess the gift of life.

Grass Dancer: The grass dancer came from the great plains of the West. The Elders would ask young men to stomp down tall grass to prepare a clearing for a ceremony. The tall prairie grass swaying and moving in the wind gave them the idea for a dance.

Early grass dancers wore tufts of sweetgrass, which later evolved into feather bustles. Today dancers use strands of ribbon, yarn or strips of leather on a yolk and breech cloth made of beautiful bright colors to create a rippling grass effect. A roach made of deer tail and porcupine hair with two eagle feathers on top complete this dancer's regalia.

"The hardest part of making a grass outfit is putting all the yarn on the breech cloth and yolk," explained 15-year-old Stephen Jackson. "But I think that without the hard work and time that goes into making a regalia it wouldn't be so special."

This dance is an expression of the harmony of the universe and is performed in perfect time to the music, responding as the grass rises to the motion of the wind.

Jingle Dress Dancer: The legend of the jingle dress says that a sickness ravaged an Ojibwe community. A young girl longed to help her people and had a dream of the jingle dress for four nights in a row. She asked her grandmother what the dream meant and she told her to make the dress because it would stop the sickness.

The dresses contain 365 brass cones, a prayer for each day of the year. Tobacco offerings were made each sunrise as the cones were rolled from tobacco can lids. The cones help to add beauty to the music and enhance it.

There are usually seven rows of cones, one to represent each of the Seven Teachings. An eagle wing fan carried in the left hand was also included to help fan away the sickness. The scarf carried by the dancer represents the wiping away of sickness.

"Making a jingle dress can be difficult and time consuming," said Summer Begay. "Rolling all the jingles is the hardest physical part of making the dress. Acquiring the inspiration is also quite complicated. I like making them because they allow me to be creative, but I only make them for family and close friends."

Jingle dresses are frequently passed down by generation.

Fancy Feather Dancer: Men's fancy feather dancing is based on the traditional and Warrior Society dances, but has evolved into a competitive style dance for modern warriors. It is said to be the most exciting to watch and possibly the hardest regalia to complete. Dancers wear two bustles with colorful hackles and a roach adorned with an array of different colored feathers.

"Finishing my regalia gave me a big sense of relief," stated 18-year-old Aaron Two-Crow, a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. "It is definitely all worth it, but when you're a guy and don't really know how to sew, it can become challenging." He added that making the bustle is the most difficult part in the construction of a fancy feather regalia.

Dancers express themselves by intricate footwork, spins and colorful regalia.

Fancy Shawl Dancer: This style of dance symbolizes the emergence of a cocoon into a beautiful butterfly and is thought to have originated as the Butterfly Dance. When her mate is killed in battle, the female butterfly mourns and goes into a cocoon symbolized by the shawl. The shawl has brightly colored fringe, usually made from ribbons, leggings, a skirt and a yolk. The colors and design reflect the dancer.

"Making a regalia is harder than it looks," explained 12-year-old Tribal member Nicole Chippewa. "I made my outfit for the first time by myself and it was quite a challenge. Cutting all that ribbon and doing all that sewing really wears you out."

The butterfly travels over the world looking for happiness, stepping on every rock, until she finds beauty in just one. Her emergence from the cocoon celebrates freedom and a new life.