Modern day Pow-wows are a culmination of 5 major Native American Religions. The Drum Dance, Earth Lodge (Warm House Dance), Feather Religion, Ghost Dance and Sun Dance Drum Religion Turkey Tailfeather Woman was a Dakota woman who is said to have given the Drum Dance to the Anishinaabe people. The Drum Dance is a set of spiritual beliefs that center around Turkey Tailfeather Woman and her escape from the American military, after which she built a large drum while in hiding. The religion spread throughout North America after about 1877. The Drum Religion, also known as the Big Drum, Drum Dance, or Dream Dance, originated around 1890 among the Santee Dakota (or Eastern Dakota). It spread through the Western Great Lakes region to other Native American tribes such as the Ojibwa (Chippewa), Meskwaki (Fox), Kickapoo, Menominee, Potawatomi, Ho-chunk (Winnebago) and others. It was a religious revitalization movement created to encourage a sense of unity of Native peoples through rituals. These rituals included the playing and keeping sacred drums and the passing of sacred knowledge from tribe to tribe. The drum used in the Drum Dance is the forerunner of the large drum used in modern Pow-wows. Dances have always been significant in the lives of Native Americans as both a common amusement and a solemn duty. Many dances played a vital role in religious rituals and other ceremonies; while others were held to guarantee the success of hunts, harvests, giving thanks, and other celebrations. Commonly, dances were held in a large structure or in an open field around a fire. Movements of the participants illustrated the purpose of the dance -- expressing prayer, victory, thanks, mythology and more. Sometimes a leader was chosen, on others, a specific individual, such as a war leader or medicine man would lead the dance. Many tribes danced only to the sound of a drum and their own voices; while others incorporated bells and rattles. Some dances included solos, while others included songs with a leader and chorus. Participants might include the entire tribe, or would specific to men, women, or families. In addition to public dances, there were also private and semi-public dances for healing, prayer, initiation, storytelling, and courting. Dance continues to be an important part of Native American culture. The dances are regionally or tribally specific and the singers usually perform in their native languages. Depending upon the dance, sometimes visitors are welcomed; while, at other times, the ceremonies are private. -------------------------------------------------- Fancy Dance: Not a historical dance tradition of any tribe, the Fancy Dance was created by members of the Ponca tribe in the 1920s and 1930s, in an attempt to preserve their culture and religion. At this time, Native American religious dances were outlawed by the United States and Canadian governments. Traditional dances went underground, to avoid government detection. However, this dance, loosely based on the traditional War Dance, was considered appropriate to be performed for visitors on reservations and at Wild West shows. Two young Ponca boys are specifically credited with developing the fast-paced dance that the audiences loved and the Ponca Tribe soon built their own dance arena in White Eagle, Oklahoma. Within no time, other tribes continued the practice and created new dances that could legally be danced in public. In the 1930s, the Kiowa and Comanche created new styles of dance regalia that was incorporated into the Fancy Dance. Even before the Fancy Dance was established, an inter-tribal Pow-Wow circuit had already been organized where various tribes held dance contests. These became an important source of revenue during the Great Depression. In the late 1930s, women also began to perform in the Fancy Dance. The dance is fast paced, colorful, and highly energetic, often including tricks and extremely athletic movements. Dancing regalia includes brightly colored feather bustles and headwear, beaded bodices, leggings, shawls, and moccasins. Clothes are also decorated with fringe, feathers, embroidery or ribbon work, and other rich designs. Beaded cuffs, chokers, earrings, bracelets, and eagle plumes are also worn. Fancy dancers are the most commonly scene in public exhibitions today and the dance has also became a competitive sport. -------------------------------------------------- Gourd Dance Believed to have originated with the Kiowa tribe, gourd dances are often held to coincide with a Pow-Wow, although it has its own unique dance and history. Kiowa legend has it that when a you man was out alone he heard an unusual song coming from the other side of a hill. Investigating, he found the song was coming from a red wolf who was dancing on its hind legs. After listening to more songs through the night, the next morning the wolf told him to take the songs and dance back to the Kiowa people. The howl at the end of each gourd dance song is a tribute to the red wolf. The dance in the Kiowa language is called Ti-ah pi-ah which means ready to go, ready to die. Gourd Dance - The dance is performed by men but women can participate by dancing in place behind the men and outside the circular arena. The drum can be placed on the side or in the center of the circle and the dancers perform around the perimeter of the area, usually dancing in place. The dance is simple, with the participants lifting their heels with the beat of the drum and shaking their rattles. Dress is also not elaborate, with sashes being worn by the dancers, around the waist or draped around the neck, reaching the ground. Beginning in 1890 the United States government began to actively enforce bans on these dances and by the 1930s it was out of practice. However, several tribes have resurrected the dance today. Some gourd societies do not distinguish race as a criteria for joining, even allowing non-Native Americans to be inducted into their gourd societies. However, the Kiowa allow only members which are half blood or more. During Pow-Wows today, gourd dancing generally occurs before the Grand Entry. The rattles used in Pow-Wows are not made of a gourd; but rather a tin or silver cylinder filled with beads on a beaded handle. -------------------------------------------------- Grass Dance One of the oldest and most widely used dances in Native American culture, it was the job of the grass dancers to flatten the grass in the arena before other important celebrations. However, the name grass does not come from the stomping down the terrain; but, rather, from the old habit of tying braids of sweet grass to the dancers belts, which produced a swaying effect. Traditionally a mens dance only, it is thought to have begun with the northern Plains Indians, particularly the Omaha-Ponca and the Dakota Sioux. An old legend tells that it was created by a handicapped Northern Plains boy who had a desire to dance. After consulting a Medicine Man, he was instructed to seek inspiration on the prairie. Following the advice, he went alone out on the plains where he had a vision of himself dancing in the style of the swaying grasses. When he returned to the camp, he shared his vision and was said to have eventually later able to use his legs, performing the first grass dance. In addition to its practical purpose, another objective of the dance is to honor and respect the ancestors and to gain spiritual strength from their mother earth. A popular dance today in which both men and women participate, the is dance is full of color and movement. Dancers resemble a multicolored swaying mass of yarn or fringe which represents grass. As the dancers move in fluid and bending positions to the music, their positions replicate the movement of grass blowing in the breezes. The dance today is largely inter-tribal, owing its longevity, in part, to a modernization of ceremonies prompted by early 20th-century oppression. Special blessings are not only bestowed upon the dancers, but to observers as well. -------------------------------------------------- Hoop Dance Going back for centuries, the Hoop Dance is a storytelling dance, which incorporates from 1 to 40 hoops to create both static and dynamic shapes. These formations represent the movements of various animals and other storytelling elements. In its earliest form, the dance is believed to have been part of a healing ceremony designed to restore balance and harmony in the world. With no beginning or end, the hoop represents the never-ending circle of life. The hoops, typically made of reeds or wood, are used to create symbolic shapes, including butterflies, turtles, eagles, flowers, and snakes. There are several tales of how the dance originated. Some say the Creator gave a series of wooden hoops and the dance to a dying man from the Northern Plains who wanted a gift to leave behind. Another story in the Southwest tells that the hoops were developed by cliff-dwellers for children to learn dexterity. A more prominent legend has the Hoop Dance originating in the Anishinaabe culture, when an unearthly spirit was born to live among the people. The boy did not show any interest in typical boys activities such as running and hunting, preferring to be alone and watch animals. This caused his father to shun him and earned him the name Pukawiss: the disowned or unwanted. However, the boy continued to watch the movements of eagles, bears, snakes, and birds and before long was spinning like an eagle in flight, hopping through the grass like a rabbit, and created the Hoop Dance to teach the other Indians about the ways of the animals. Before long, Pukawiss was so popular that every village wanted to learn the dance. Today, the Hoop Dance remains popular. It is generally performed by a solo dancer who begins with a single hoop, evoking the circle of life. Additional hoops are added representing other life elements, including humans, animals, wind, water, and seasons. The dance incorporates very rapid moves in which the hoops are made to interlock and extended from the body forming appendages such as wings and tails. Practiced by a number of tribes today, it has evolved over the years, becoming faster and incorporating many non-traditional influences. It has also become a highly competitive event, with the first World Hoop Dance Competition held at the New Mexico State Fair in 1991. Today, the most popular competition is held annually at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. -------------------------------------------------- The following is a video Tutorial on the creation of the Regalia used in the above Dances. This Tutorial was created by Juaquin Lonelodge has created 13 movies on the creation of Regalia. He is a Cheyenne Arapaho and a Fancy Dancer since he was 3 years old. Juaquin is a former national Mens Fancy Dance champion and master regalia craftsman. part1 youtu.be/4Lbr702W-Aw?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part2 youtu.be/kzjvxZmuLq4?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part3 youtu.be/hpKpP1AG4wk?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part4 youtu.be/tX_ZLc5Rhjo?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part5 youtu.be/PgKxwmfE4Qo?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part6 youtu.be/7wV0FDzL1lo?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part7 youtu.be/Y1f3H-3CVtQ?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part8 youtu.be/rrXbA7QHb_Q?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part9 youtu.be/kamBg4wY8Lg?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part10 youtu.be/yexFniO36wY?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part11 youtu.be/ABt8SAj2mMw?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part12 youtu.be/ANUnWXMy720?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3 part13 youtu.be/Oo-6KHILnA0?list=PLj4IsLVyAL8XUSStbXYQV4Z1aDtU7RNE3
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 17:02:16 +0000
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