I found it interesting that Native American men and women dance differently to music at powwows. The women are more reserved while the men are more active. I thought the women's jingle dress dance was very interesting. Women attach rows of metal cones to their dresses that jingle while they dance to the music. The jingle dress is thought to bring healing to those who are sick. According to an old story, an old medicine man's daughter was sick and the spirits led him to make a jingle dress for her. The spirits told him that if she danced with the dress she would be healed. After dancing, she was healed of her sickness. Jingle dress cones were once made with rolled snuff can lids but they are now machine-made. The dresses are often very colorful and flashy.
https://www.powwows.com/jingle-dress-dance/
The men's Fancy Dance is very fast paced and their costumes are full of bright colors. The dance was first introduced in the reservation era. Dancers can carry twirling spinners as they dance. The outfits are made to be as colorful as possible for entertainment purposes. The dancers showcase their fancy footwork and acrobatics then they abruptly stop to pose at the end to impress the judges. No one dances the same, they all feel the beat of the music and dance along. The dance is extremely difficult since they have to keep up with the fast drum beat and stop on the final beat of the song.
https://www.stjo.org/native-american-culture/powwow/powwow-dance-styles-men/
https://www.wernative.org/articles/men-39-s-fancy-dance
The men's Grass Dance also caught my eye. The dancers wear long strands of colorful ribbon and fringe that move in the wind as they dance. They have headdresses with feathers attached as well as matching a shirt, pants, and aprons decorated with yarn and ribbons, matched bead-work, headband, wrist cuffs, arm bands, long harnesses, and a belt with side drops. The accessorizing doesn't stop there. They can add bone chokers and scarves or carry dream catchers or a fan. The dance is slower paced than the Fancy Dance and they hop and sway to the music.
https://www.wernative.org/articles/men-39-s-grass-dance
I found the jiggle dance very fascinating. I just love the sound of the cones hitting against the dress. It just makes everyone so happy.
ReplyDeleteI love how the men imitate other male animals by wearing bright colors and big feathers, just like most male birds have.
ReplyDeleteI like how in your blog you specifically focused on the dancing, but you turned it into 3 different points. That made this blog super easy to follow, and really brought the dancing in my mind together as a whole :) I especially like the part where you mentioned that the jingle dress sounds were supposed to bring healing. I've never heard that before, but that's super neat!
ReplyDeleteI as well used the jiggle dance in my blog. It inserting to see how they make it and what it represents. Another thing that I liked about your blog is that you incorporated both men and female dances.
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