"Each tribe had its own individual culture and the modern pow-wow world is blending all of these cultures together. They are now adopting the mainstream or popular pow-wow culture and losing part of their own."
-Zane Hope
Santa Fe – Early this year a video of two unidentified young females dancing at an outdoor pow-wow in their regalia, hip-hop style, was circulated among Native Americans all over the nation. Since then, their dancing has been the center of controversy among pow-wow goers.
In the video, the astonished audience in the background watch the two girls shake their bottoms to the ground as if they were in a nightclub. Moreover, one young woman dancing in her jingle dress performs a split like a teenage cheerleader and bounces on the ground.
The CHRONICLE gathered reaction to the dancing from across Indian country.
“Native American dances in general do not have outwardly sexual or dance movements that mimic sexual intimacy,” said Tamara Francis, cultural preservation specialist of the Caddo, Delaware, Pawnee, and Muskogee tribes.
Chuck Butzin, visitor service representative of the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture and Lifeways, who is part Ojibway and part-German from Mt. Pleasant, Mich., said, “The girl shouldn’t be in that dress while dancing in that manner. The dress was given to us (Ojibway) for healing purposes, not to shake your booty in it. The dress has a story behind it that she should respect.”
The Jingle Dress Came From A Vision
The jingle dress is deeply respected in the Ojibway Nation. Because of its origin, the jingle dress is treated with honor and worn with dignity. Maggie White, an Ojibway jingle dress dancer of White Fish Bay, Ontario, Canada, received a special dress as a child. This dress came from a vision her grandfather had in a dream to make a dress adorned with shiny cones and different colored fabric representing the colors of the earth. Miss White would then dance in that dress, her prayer dress, to cure her sick body.
“A pow-wow is supposed to be respectful,” said Zane Hope, museum director of the Southern Appalachian Historical Association who is part-Catawba. “Each tribe had its own individual culture and the modern pow-wow world is blending all of these cultures together. They are now adopting the mainstream or popular pow-wow culture and losing part of their own.”
The question of whether pow-wows are traditional or merely held for entertainment purposes varies among tribal people. Both Hope and Butzin view the pow-wow dances and outfits as very sacred as does Valentina Sireech, Northern Ute, former president of the Pow-wow Club at IAIA.
“Where I’m from (Utah), pow-wows are so traditional,” Sireech said. “When I came down here, (New Mexico) I see the same mentality but the events seem a little more social where everyone seemed to be having fun.”
Moving Away From Tradition?
The origin of pow-wows is not clear. There are several stories of where it derived. Many credit the Omaha, although some credit the Ponca’s war dance societies and other Southern Plains tribes.
Now it seems, pow-wow has immersed itself into pop culture.
“If this is where our young American Indian people are going, I’ll stay here (with tradition),” said Phillip Yogi Bread of Oklahoma. “We have a responsibility to keep our traditions, heritage and customs sacred to ourselves and our families. We must not dilute or pollute them under any circumstances! The jingle dress is a sacred dress. I’m sure the people of White Fish Bay must be offended.”
“This dance is actually encouraging them to go away from their traditions and not think about what the purpose was,” Sireech added. “I think tradition should be encouraged.”
