THE DRUM
People say you can't have a Powwow without a drum, for it carries the heartbeat
of the Indian nation. It is also felt to carry the heartbeat of Mother Earth,
and thus calls the spirits and nations together.

The Powwow drum is a large base covered with hide (buffalo, deer, or cow).
Forming a circle, eight or more men strike the drum in unison with covered mallets.
The men then blend their voices with the beating of the Drum to create the
song. The songs are often in the Indian language of the drum members. It is the
responsibility of the drum members and especially the lead singer to be able to
sing and play whatever kind of song is requested by the master of ceremonies or
the arena director for any given event (i.e. flag raising, honoring ceremony,
different kinds of dances).

It is said that the drum was brought to the Indian people by a woman, and
therefore there is a woman spirit that resides inside the drum. Approriately, it is
to be treated with respect and care, and strict behavior is expected of anyone
coming in contact with the drum. The drum is often thought to help bring the
physical and mental side of a person back in touch with his or her spiritual or
heart side. As with many things in the Indian culture, the drum is used to bring
balance and rejuvenation to a person through their participation in dancing,
singing or listening to the heartbeat.

THE SONGS

The music in a Powwow comes primarily from the drum groups who circle the
arena. The drum groups usually consist of several men, each with a covered mallet,
circling a large drum covered with hide (buffalo, elk, cow, etc.). The men then
blend their voices with the beating of the drum to create the song. The songs
are varied and endless in number: some are traditional and passed down through
history; others are contemporary and created to speak to current concerns and
interests. Many songs are sung in the original Indian languages, a fact some
believe will help keep the languages alive and vital to the growing youth.

Each category of dance has a specific style of song and pace that is
appropriate for the specific dance. The Drum group, particularly the lead singer, is
responsible for having whatever style of song is required immediately available at
the request of the MC or arena director.

Songs are very important and have intense personal impact.

Mike Hotaine, MC and Dakota person from Manitoba, explains. "There is a song
everywhere. No matter where you go, there is a song. And that's what we're told
to listen to. There's songs in the grass, because it is the sacred blanket of
Mother Earth in the summertime. And there are songs in the wintertime when the
wind howls through windows and doors, there is a song. There's songs in birds
that sing a particular song and there are words in that song. All we have to do is
learn to listen to them, the great songs of Mother Earth." "God gave one of
the greatest gifts to us, to sing together, and the beat of that particular song
, the drumbeat itself, which is your heart. So your heart is your drumbeat, and
your songs are the gifts of life...the songs of life."

Ron Davis, a Grass Dancer from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, says. "You hear a
good song, you're out there dancing, you kind of go to your inner self, into
where you had your vision. You go back to the place where you feel comfortable
in your own state of mind. And nothing else around you can interrupt that. And
when you hear that song, it's so pretty, you know, it sounds like the wind. And
you just dance to that, and it feels good." Lillian Goodeagle, a
Dakota/Northern Cheyenne champion Fancy Shawl dancer , explains. "A real good song, it just
comes into you. It's like in your heart, and your body, your feet, your legs,
your arms--everything--is expressing that song."

THE DANCES

The dances at Powwows have a strong personal and spiritual dimension. There are
many different stories and interpretations for each dance, depending on tribal
and family background. While they may differ in facts, they are all considered
true...for truth can exist in many forms.



MEN'S TRADITIONAL DANCE
This is the oldest form of dance in the Indian culture. The regalia is often
thought to represent the animals that the Creator put on the earth. The movements
tell of warrior actions-hunting, stalking the game, battling an enemy. The
regalia is a very per sonal expression of creativity and artistry. While there is
no prescribed look, several elements might reflect items worn by early
warriors: a breast plate made of animal bones or shell for protection against arrows; a
neck choker for protection against knives; ankle bells or jingling hooves; or
a shield made of hide and decorated with important tribal symbols. Often a
traditional dancer will wear a single bustle containing eagle feathers, which are
considered sacred to the Indian people. The eagle flies the highest and carries
the prayers of the people to the Creator. Eagle feathers are traditionally
awarded for feats of bravery or accomplishment.



WOMEN'S TRADITIONAL DANCE
Woman's traditional dance requires enormous stamina, concentration and grace.
The movements are very focused. Women move their feet in time with the drum
keeping them close to the ground. As the drum plays "honor beats," women raise
their fans to honor th e drum and their male relatives. An important element of
women's traditional dance is the regalia. Women's traditional regalia will usually
include a fringed shawl held gracefully folded over one arm, an awl and knife
case on the belt and a feather (often eagle ) fan. Southern or Oklahoma style
women's traditional often feature buckskin or cloth outfits to go with their
more overt rhythmic dance movement. The regalia will feature beautiful beadwork
(usually created by the woman dancer) in patterns and co lors that reflect tribal
and family affiliation. Dakota patterns, for instance, often are in rainbow
colors and geometric in shape, representing the colors and patterns of their
homeland on the plains. The Ojibwe or Winnebago ragalia often reflect floral
patterns and woodland colors showing the woodland Indian influence.


MEN'S GRASS DANCE
Several stories about the beginnings of the grass dance are told. One tells of
the grass dance coming from the movements of the early scouts seeking a site.
The grass being high in new areas, the scouts would dance in a special way to
flatten the grass and make it acceptable for a new camp or meeting site. The
grass dance movements also reflect warrior movements such as stalking the game or
enemy and fighting the enemy (including one movement representing one of the
warrior's legs being staked and unable to move and battling with this leg in a
held position). The grass dance is often said to reflect the need for balance in
life; each movement that is danced on one side must be repeated by the other
side. Some people talk of the grass dance as a gift from the Creator to celebrate
joy. There is rich lore surrounding this dance. The regalia for the dance is
comprised of long strands of yarn, ribbon or fabric attached to a base outfit to
represent grass or in some theories the scalps of enemies. A headdress called a
roach is worn. The roach has two feathers attached in such a way that they
rock or twirl as the dancer moves. As in all the dances, the dancer must move with
the beats of the drum ending with both feet on the ground on the final beat.



WOMEN'S JINGLE DRESS
This dance has its origins in northern Minnesota and was introduced to the
Pan-Indian community by the Ojibwe people. As the story goes, a medicine man's
granddaughter was very ill. He had a dream in which a spirit wearing the jingle
dress came to him and told him to make one of these dresses and put it on his
daughter to cure her. When he awoke, he and his wife proceeded to assemble the
dress as described by the spirit of his dream. When finished, they and others
brought his granddaughter to the dance ha ll and she put on the dress. During the
first circle around the room, she needed to be carried. During the second circle
around the room, she could barely walk and needed the assistance of several
women. The third circle around the room she found she coul d walk without
assistance and during the fourth circle around the room, she danced. The jingle dress
is made of a cloth, velvet or leather base adorned with jingles made out of a
shiny metal. Traditionally and still common today, the jingles are made from the
lids of snuff cans. These are bent and molded into triangular bell shapes and
attached to the dress with ribbon or fabric in a pattern designed by the dancer.
It takes between 400 and 700 jingles to make an adult jingle dress.

The dance itself is designed to incorporate the sound of the jingles by
allowing them to move; that is, to make them jingle, or be made "happy." The steps are
controlled and do not invlove high kicking or twirls. Often the steps are in a
zigzag pattern t o reflect the zigzagging involved in the journey of life.
Similar to Men's Grass dancing, the feet often do parallel movements. Similar to a
Women's Traditional dancer, the Jingle Dress dancer also raises her fan when
the "honor beats" are played on the d rum. As in all dances, the Jingle Dress
dancer must stay in time with the drum beat and stop with both feet on the ground
on the final beat.



MEN'S FANCY DANCE
One of the more modern dances in the PowWow, Men's Fancy dance is the most
strenuous and athletic. To be good at this dance, the dancer must train for stamina
and agility. The dance is fast and features jumps and twirling. The regalia is
said to represent the rainbow spirits in its bright colors and flying feathers
and ribbons. The Men's Fancy dancer typically wears two bustles of bright
colored feathers with added ribbon, feather or horse hair hackles and bright arm
and head bands repeating the colors and patterns. The dancer also wears a
headdress roach trimmed in colored horsehair and featuring two eagle feathers. The
roach is designed to keep the feathers either spinning or rocking in movement. It
is part of the dance to keep the feathers moving constantly throughout the
song. Dancers also carry coup sticks which are highly decorated with ribbons or
feathers. The coup stick was originally a small stick carried into battle by a
warrior. It was considered a great sign of bravery if you were able to touch your
enemy with your coup stick (much more brave than killing your enemy).



WOMEN'S FANCY SHAWL DANCE
This is the most modern of the women's dances. Some say it was originally
called the blanket dance and women danced with a blanket or shawl covering their
heads. It was called Graceful Shawl dance in the '60s and the dance steps were
closer to the ground and smaller than what is performed today. This is an
extremely athletic and strenuous dance involving kicks and twirls and fast movement. It
parallels the Men's Fancy Bustle dance in speed and style. Women dance with
beautifully decorated shawls often wit h long ribbon or fabric fringe. The
regalia of this dance also includes beaded high moccasins. The symbols and colors
beaded on the moccasins have tribal and or personal significance to the dancer.



THE REGALIA
The dance outfits worn in the circle during the Powwow are called regalia or
outfits. Though highly decorative, these outfits are never referred to as
"costumes". The term costume denotes artificiality and wear that is donned for an
event that is not a part of one's ongoing life. To the contrary, these Native
American outfits are very personal and artistic expressions of the dancers' lives,
feelings, interests, family and spiritual quest. Often elements of the regalia
are gifts from elders or treasured people in the dancers' lives and are
honorings to be worn with pride and responsibility. The regalia evolves and changes as
the dancer evolves and changes in life. Each season, changes are made depending
on the fashion of the time or the personal change in taste. There is no
contradiction in blending historic elements with very modern elements, for example
interweaving traditional beadwork with Minnie Mouse braid holders.

Since the regalia expresses the life of each individual dancer, design elements
from many different sources are appropriate. As Ron Davis, an Objibwe Grass
Dancer, explains "It takes a long time to make an outfit, you know. You can go
through life and keep adding on to that outfit. Because there are different
circumstances that surround different items that you add to your outfit. When you're
dancing, these things that are in the regalia, they bring out a shine. You
actually shine out there, and you feel good about yourself. Everybody can do that.
It's not just for Anishinabe people. It's for everyone."