“To dance is to pray
To pray is to heal
To heal is to give
To give is to live
To live is to dance” –Unknown
Dancing to Native Americans is many things. There are many styles, rules, customs, and culture involved. There are culture and rules specific to each separate tribe who are patting on the powwow or celebration gathering. The powwow is a gathering of many different tribes coming together to share relationships, stories, and history. But Native American dancing crosses all barriers and brings the people together, for many families it is a way of life passed down from generation to another, learned from our parents and grandparents. For me and my family we grow up practicing, participating, and learning to dance. We are welcomed into the
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To the northern tribes this dance is known as a ceremonial dance a blessing ceremony for new ground. Yet there are many stories of how the grass dance came too. Grass dancers are understood to be blessing and yet flattening the prairie grass. For any reason rather it be for a ceremony, a dance, or a battle. A grass dancer is always suppose to be in contact with mother earth, so they always have to have one foot touching the ground. They would tie braided grass to their belt. Tying braided grass to their belt is believed to have led to them wearing yarn and ribbon how they do today. These dancers are very different than any of the other dances, not because their dance replicates grass. No, this was not the reason, it was because unlike the other dancers that wear bustles, carry fans, and have staffs with feathers on them grass dancers wear little to no feathers. Some of the dancers so wear feathers but that is just their top feathers some also carry fans. A lot of grass dancers wear plums as their top feathers instead of eagle feathers because it makes it look like they are moving a lot more than they are ;however, it still looks good. Their dance contains a lot of foot work and shoulder movement. It is rather unique and interesting considering why the dance was
One of the principal rules is that people must respect one another. The audience must stand when appropriate, sit when appropriate, clap when appropriate, and the participants must be civil to each other. For instance, when the Grand Entry (the first main event) began, the announcer asked the audience to stand - which everyone did - even those who had been wandering through vendor stands. They continued to do so until the announcer told the audience that they may sit when the Grand Entry ended, at which point the audience applauded the performance. The powwow participants who weren’t performing during Grand Entry also generally abided by these rules. They made sure that any preparations for their dance did not interfere with any ongoing performance, thus showing courtesy to fellow participants. Moreover, in my interview with the powwow dancer, I asked, “Is the audience expected to act a certain way at a powwow or are there appropriate behavior and inappropriate behavior expectations?” She responded, “Well, if you want to take pictures, you’re supposed to ask because some people don’t want you to take pictures.” This is a prime example of an expectation that goes back to the general rule of respecting people, by giving them the choice of whether they want to be
What were the major patterns of Native American life in North America before Europeans arrived? North America was quite advance for its time. It consisted of large scale trade network, well irrigated, many thruways, cities and huge structures. The Indians were quite primitive when comparison to the Europeans gadgets. How did Indian and European ideas of freedom differ on the eve of contact? Europeans thought the Indians were too liberated and lacked organization while the Indians believed more in community and kinship structure building. What impelled European explorers to look west across the Atlantic? The reason for their exploration across the west is due to imports and export and to spread religion to foreign countries. What happened when
The Sioux Grass Dance is considered to be the most popular style of Native American Music. As one dances to this music, they follow a pattern known as “toe-heel.” This consists of the individual placing the left foot in front of the right and repeating with the other foot. Each male dancer makes many personal variations of this dance resulting in a so...
The first dance was held by Wovoka in 1889. The ritual lasted five successive days, being danced each night and on the last night continuing until morning. Hypnotic trances and shaking accompanied this ceremony, which was supposed to be repeated every six weeks. The ceremony also had rhythmic drumming and introduced many new musical instruments into Indian religious ceremonies. In addition, both men and women participated in the dance, unlike other Indian religions in which men were the primary dancers, singers, and musicians.
Pages one to sixty- nine in Indian From The Inside: Native American Philosophy and Cultural Renewal by Dennis McPherson and J. Douglas Rabb, provides the beginning of an in-depth analysis of Native American cultural philosophy. It also states the ways in which western perspective has played a role in our understanding of Native American culture and similarities between Western culture and Native American culture. The section of reading can be divided into three lenses. The first section focus is on the theoretical understanding of self in respect to the space around us. The second section provides a historical background into the relationship between Native Americans and British colonial power. The last section focus is on the affiliation of otherworldliness that exist between
Native Americans are known for many different qualities they had as a part of their lifestyle. The games and sports they created to play that are now used in today’s society, lacrosse being the most famous. Some of the games played in the early times are either drastically changed or no longer played. There are many different Native American tribes that factor out cultural differences and depending on the tribe, the lifestyle qualities such as sports, games, and rituals differentiate between one another.
“Perhaps there is no other group in the world that has quite so diverse and rich culture as that of the Native Americans. With their gilded history that is rich in strife, struggle, and triumph, the Native American culture is indeed very colorful” (Bantwal). Native American culture is very diverse and it has a very colorful history. It is extremely diverse and in fact the term Native American is a broad term that is used to cover all Native tribes in America. Throughout history there has been conflict not only among the different tribes but also there was plenty of fighting against the white men. Much of the fighting between the Native Americans and the white men was due to misunderstandings, mistrust, and miscommunication. Many thousands of years ago “the nomadic ancestors of modern Native Americans who hiked over a “land bridge” from Asia to what is now Alaska” (History.com). Once they reached Alaska they slowly spread out across the continent of North America. They spread out and separated into different tribes who all have many of the same core ideas but the main thing that separates them is their location in the country. There are Indians from the plains, the pacific coast, the southwest, and the northeast and different locations also. One main idea that is pretty much the same for each tribe is the closeness and respect they show for the land they live on. The history of the Native Americans as a whole is pockmarked by conflict. The conflicts between the tribes were very common and happened because of land disputes or just because of the close proximity of the tribes. But when the white men entered the picture this is where miscommunication and mistrust came into play. The white men wanted the land that...
All around the world, there are thousands of cultures. Although they are different, every culture partakes in dance. Dancing is something known worldwide. Every culture has traditional cultural dancing they partake in. Mexico has many cultural dances. La danza del venado is one traditional dance from Northern Mexico. La danza del venado, is known as the deer dance.
This dance they get into nature by way of rhythm and it can make your body
The Folklorico group presentation I was honored to observed was the “Grupo Folklorico Juventud” from North Salinas High School. I decided to attend to this presentation because I use to be part of this Folklorico group. I also enjoy watching the dances for the reason that I believe they are beyond beautiful. It is amazing how a simple dance could transmit so much information while representing a region from Mexico. From my observation experienced, I noticed every region has different movements and customs for a reason. While observing the presentation I noticed most women used long skirts to create different shapes. They usually create the eight shape, half a circle or an entire circle which is created when the dancer does an entire spin while holding and moving their skirt. The skirt is also moved in different levels, such as high, medium, and low. The two levels that are used in most of the dances is the high and the medium level. While dancing the men and women usually do the same steps and movements. All the dances include “zapateados” which are known as foot dances or stomps. The “zapateados” are usually done with different parts of the feet such as the toe, heel and the sole of the feet. The dances include “zapateados” with different sections of the feet because every part creates a different sound. Most of the dances also include jumps and turns. It is extremely important for the
Growing up I was the only one in my family with an olive skin tone who didn’t burn in the sun. Everyone always told me that I inherited my grandfather’s Cherokee Indian features. He never talked about his culture, so I have never associated myself with being Native American. Each Native American tribe has unique cultural beliefs and traditions that are passed down from generation to generation through storytelling. In my family, those traditions ended when my grandfather passed away. As an increasingly diverse country, it is important for nurses and health care providers to deliver culturally competent care. The purpose of this paper is to discuss Native American’s cultural beliefs related to end of life care and how health care providers can
Dance is a part of every culture. Whether it is the fire dances of the native Hawaiians, or the Tango from Spain, dance is a part of every culture. This event is not an event I would usually attend. I am not into art of any kind except music. At first, there were two reasons I went to this performance.
Dance, like any other art form, is constantly evolving. Its roots are planted in every place in the world. America can thank several countries for creating what the dance industry is today. Since America is a melting pot, it has blended movements from all over the world. This country accepts all cultures and invites new art. Textbooks do not expand on the importance of dance, but it not only played a role in early American society, but todays as well.
Dance is communication through physical expression, although the type of expression and frequency differs vastly from culture to culture. Belly dance has an interesting history, one that dancer and instructor Susan Diamond states started “thousands of years ago” (Diamond, Belly Dancing). Today, however, belly dancing is gaining popularity and there are many different “branches” of the dance form that have evolved over merging two or more dance forms. While researching belly dance I found that my particular “flavor” happens to be Tribal Fusion.
Folk dance is also a popular types of dance. Folk dance is a variety of dances that reflect a certain culture. There are many types of folk dance including aboriginal dance, clogging, irish dance and square dance. Folk dancing started in the 18th century, the steps were then passed through the generations. Many children songs and games today come from folk