Native Dance History:
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.
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 1930's, 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 intertribal 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 1930's, 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.
Ghost Dance –
A Promise of Fulfillment - The Ghost Dance is a spiritual movement that came about in the late 1880s
when conditions were bad on Indian reservations and Native Americans needed something to give
them hope. This movement found its origin in a Paiute Indian named Wovoka , who announced that he
was the messiah come to earth to prepare the Indians for their salvation.
Gourd Dance - Believed to have originated with the Kiowa tribe, gourd dances are often held to coincide with a PowWow, 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."
The Comanche and Cheyenne, also have legends about the gourd dance. The ceremony soon spread to
other tribes and societies.
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.
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 dancer's 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 intertribal, 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 1-40 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 amongst 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
Hopi Snake Dance - The most widely publicized of Hopi rituals was the Snake Dance, held annually in
late August, during which the performers dance with live snakes in their mouths. The dance is thought
to have originated as a water ceremony because snakes were the traditional guardians of springs.
Today, it is primarily a rain ceremony and to honor Hopi ancestors. The tribe regards snakes as their
"brothers" and rely on them to carry their prayers for rain to the gods and spirits of their ancestors.
The Snake Dance requires two weeks of ritual preparation, during which time the snakes are gathered
and watched over by children until time for the dance. On the last day of the 16-day celebration, the
dance is performed. By percentage of the local snake population most are rattlesnakes, but all are
handled freely.
Before the dance begins the participants take an emetic (probably a sedative herb) which is not an antivenom and then dance with the snakes in their mouths. There is usually an Antelope Priest in
attendance who helps with the dance, sometimes stroking the snakes with a feather or supporting their
weight. The dance includes swaying, rattles, a guttural chant and circling of the plaza with snakes. After
the dance the snakes are released in the four directions to carry the prayers of the dancers. Although
part of the Snake Dance is performed for the tribe, this is only a portion of a lengthy ceremony, most of
which is conducted privately in kivas.
Though the dance was once open to the public, it is now open to only tribal members due to illegal
photography and a lack of respect for the traditions and ceremonial practices of the Hopi.
Rain Dance - This ceremonial dance is performed by numerous agricultural peoples, especially in the
southwest, where summers can be extremely dry. The ceremony was performed to ask the spirits or
gods to send rain for the tribes ' crops. The dance usually takes place during the spring planting season
and before crops are harvested. However, it was also performed in times when rain was desperately
needed.
One thing that makes rain dances unique from some other ceremonial dances is that both men and
women participate in the ceremony. The dance varies from tribe to tribe, each having their own unique
rituals and costumes. Some tribes wear large headdresses while others wear masks. Accessories often
include paint on the body, beads, animal skins, horse and goat hair, feathers, embroidered aprons, and
jewelry made of leather, silver, and turquoise. Feathers and the color blue are often found in dress and
accessories, symbolizing the wind and rain, respectively. These special clothes and accessories which
were worn during the rain dance, were generally not worn at other times of the year, but rather, were
stored for this specific ceremony. Dance steps usually involve moving in a zigzag pattern as opposed to
other ceremonial dances that involve standing in a circle.
Stories of the origins of ceremonial dances have been passed from generation to generation orally.
When the Native Americans were relocated in the 19th century, the United States government banned
certain tribal ceremonial dances. In some regions tribal members would tell federal authorities that they
were performing a "rain dance" rather than disclosing the fact they were actually performing one of the
banned ceremonies.
Though the rain dance was most often performed by tribes in the southwest such as the Puebloan, Hopi,
Zuni, and Apache, other tribes also performed the ceremony, including the Cherokee in the
Southeastern United States. Many tribes continue to perform this ceremony today.
Stomp Dance - Performed by various Eastern Woodland tribes including the Muscogee Creek, Yuchi,
Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Caddo, Delaware, Miami, Ottawa, Peoria, Shawnee, Seminole, Natchez,
and Seneca-Cayuga, the Stomp Dance is a ceremony that contains both religious and social meaning.
The term "Stomp Dance" is an English term, which refers to the "shuffle and stomp" movements of the
dance. In the native Muskogee language the dance is called Opvnkv Haco, which can mean "drunken,"
"crazy," or "inspirited" dance, referring to the effect the medicine and dance have on the participants.
These dances are generally performed several times during the summer months to insure the
community's wellbeing. Performed by both men and women, these events may include some 30 or
more performances, each sung by a different leader.
When a leader begins, he circles the sacred fire and is followed in single file by those who wish to
participate. Leading the dancers counter-clockwise around the fire, participants sing, shake leg rattles,
and dance in a stomping step. Men and women alternate positions behind the leader, organizing
themselves by age and skill, with the youngest and least experienced dancers at the end of the line.
Dancing typically starts well after dark and continues until dawn of the next day. Participants who are
making a religious commitment will begin fasting after midnight, and are obligated to stay awake the
whole night. The "medicine" taken by participants is made from roots and plants which have been
ceremonially gathered and prepared by a Healer. Dancing continues until the sun rises, at which point
the event is concluded.
Sun Dance - The Sun Dance is practiced primarily by tribes in the Upper Plains and Rocky Mountain
areas. This annual ceremony is typically performed at the summer solstice, with preparations beginning
up to a year before the ceremony. Though the dance is practiced differently by different tribes, the
Eagle serves as a central symbol in the dance, helping bring body and spirit together in harmony, as does
the buffalo, for its essential role in Plains Indian food, clothing, and shelter. Many of the ceremonies
have features in common, such as specific dances and songs passed down through many generations,
the use of a traditional drum, praying with the pipe, offerings, fasting, and in some cases the ceremonial
piercing of skin.
Although not all sun dance ceremonies include dancers being ritually pierced, the object of the sun
dance is to offer personal sacrifice as a prayer for the benefit of one's family and community.
War Dance - Many tribes practiced a War Dance on the evening before an attack to observe certain
religious rites to ensure success. The warriors took part in a war dance while contemplating retaliation
and the dance stirred emotions and filled the braves with a profound sense of purpose as they prepared
for battle. Though the ceremonies varied from one tribe to another, there are common points among
many including singing, often extending over an entire day and night, interspersed with prayers,
handling of sacred objects or bundles, and occasional dancing. Often a sweat lodge or other purification
ceremony was also held, incense burned, faces might be painted, and a pipe was frequently passed
between the participants. Generally, the only musical instruments used in these ceremonies are rattles,
drums, and whistles. In the Pacific Northwest, the Pueblos of the Southwest, and the Iroquois of the
Woodlands, participants often were dressed and masked to represent the various gods or supernatural
creatures and who acted out parts of the ritual.