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The We In Me: Exploring the Interconnection of Indigenous Dance, The We In Me: Exploring the Interconnection of Indigenous Dance,

Identity and Spirituality Identity and Spirituality

Sara Moncada Dominican University of California

https://doi.org/10.33015/dominican.edu/2016.HCS.ST.03

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Recommended Citation Moncada, Sara, "The We In Me: Exploring the Interconnection of Indigenous Dance, Identity and Spirituality" (2016). Senior Theses. 59. https://doi.org/10.33015/dominican.edu/2016.HCS.ST.03

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TheWeInMe:

ExploringtheInterconnectionofIndigenousDance,IdentityandSpirituality

by

SaraMoncada

Aculminatingcapstoneprojectsubmittedtothefacultyof

DominicanUniversityofCaliforniainpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsofthe

BachelorofArtsHumanitiesandCulturalStudies

SanRafael,CA

December,2017

ii

Thisthesis,writtenunderthedirectionofthecandidate’sthesisadvisorandapprovedbythedepartmentchair,hasbeenpresentedtoandacceptedbytheDepartmentofHumanitiesandCulturalStudies,Religion,Philosophy,inpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeoftheBachelorofArtsinHumanitiesandCulturalStudies.Thecontentandresearchmethodologiespresentedinthisworkrepresenttheworkofthecandidatealone.

SaraMoncada 12/11/16CandidateChaseClow,Ph.D. 12/11/16DepartmentChairGayLynch,Ph.D. 12/11/16ThesisAdvisor

iii

Copyright©2016,bySaraMoncada

AllRightsReserved.

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ListofFigures

Fig.1:PhotocreditEvaKolenko(2008)bypermission.

DancerEddieMadril,PasquaYaqui.HoopDanceFig.2:PhotocreditKathyDouglas(2014)bypermission.

DancerAnecitaHernandez,Diné.FancyShawl/ButterflyDanceFig.3:PhotocreditRJMuna,WorldArtsWest(2009)bypermission.

DancerMarcosMadril,PasquaYaqui.Men’sNorthernTraditionalFig.4:PhotocreditCorinneOestreich(2015)bypermission.

DancerSaraMoncada,Yaqui.Women’sNorthernTraditionalFig.5:PhotocreditCorinneOesterich(2015)bypermission.

DancerSaraMoncadawithdaughterEllieCruz.

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Abstract

An extensive amount of scholarship exists today on Native American and Indigenous

peoplewithintherealmofmusicanddanceethnography.Overthecenturiesresearch

and observations have used these stunning and profound creative expressions as a

meansbywhichtodocumentandtheorizeaboutthepeople,theirhistories,traditions,

and ways of being. However, a tremendous amount of this scholarship is developed

fromspecificformsandstylesofexpression,resultinginakindofseparationthatarises

from examining an individual dance or song tradition as a stand-alone inquiry. By

dislocating individual forms from the overarching whole, we limit our scope and the

ability tounderstanddanceasmore thansharingstoriesor recountinghistory. In this

paperwewillattempttoexperiencethesetraditionsthroughthemoreholisticscopeof

livedexperience,asameans forconsideringa largernarrativeofdance inNative life.

We will explore the intrinsic role of dance as it relates to spiritual expression and

culturalidentity,asavehicleforculturalrevitalization,andasaplacefordiscourseand

transformation–danceaslife.

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ClarificationofTerms

For the sake of clarity, throughout this paper I will use the following terms

interchangeably to describe the people: Indian, American Indian, Native American,

Native,andIndigenous.TribeandNationwillalsobeusedinterchangeably.Whileeach

termhasbeenusedover thecenturies tocategorizeanddescribe the firstpeoplesof

NorthAmericaforvariouspurposesandalsoinrelationshiptochangingeras,itshould

benotedthat thesedescriptorsareall ina language foreignto the indigenousgroups

theyareattemptingtodescribe.Theyaredescriptors thatcannothonor the immense

diversity of the currently 562 federally recognized (United States) tribes that contain

over50distinctlanguagefamilies,culturaltraditionsandworldviews.

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Formydaughter…dancewithallofyourbeing…

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"WhenIamdancing,Iambeing,Iamcreating,Iamgiving,Iamconnecting.

Ihavecomeintoeverydimensionoflife.

Idancetotheheartbeatofthedrum,oftheearth,ofusall–

andindeepreverenceIdanceformyancestors,

forthosewhocannotdanceanylonger,

forthecommunityand

forthechildrenwhowilldanceourstoriesintothefuture."

~EddieMadril,PascuaYaqui

Aroundtheworld,songanddancearedeeplyembeddedwithinthecultureand

lifewaysofIndigenouspeoples.FromtheMaoriHakainNewZealand,totheMongolian

Biyelgee,andthemyriadtraditionsoftheIndigenouspeoplesofNorth,Centraland

SouthAmerica-songanddanceareintegralpartsofIndigenouslifearoundtheglobe.

Therearesongsanddancesforeveryoccasionthatreflectbeyondthebeautyofthe

presentationitself,holdingtheknowledgeofsocialcustom,spirituality,histories,

celebration,andhealing.Songanddanceholdwithintheirformsandmovementsthe

storiesofthepeople,thecreationoftheworldsandtherelationshipsthatare

expressedwithintheinterconnectednessofalllife.

Tobeasingerandadancermeanstorecognizeone’sroleasaknowledgeholder

-asacredstoryteller-holdingwithinthesongandmovementthepatternsofhowlife

worksandreflectingbacktothecommunitywhatitmeanstostandamongstthe

people,relatetothenaturalworld,andtraverselife’sjourney.ForIndigenouspeople,

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dancebecomesmorethanexpressingemotionorrecountinghistory;itisitselfaformof

knowledgeandbeing,aplaceforvoice,discourseandtransformation.

ForasmanyIndigenousandNativetribalgroupsthatexistaroundtheworld,

therearesimilarlythousandsofformsofritualandexpressionthatreflecttheamazing

diversityofculturesandthecomplexrelationshipseachgrouphastosonganddance.In

acknowledgingthepowerandbeautythatliewithineachoftheserichtraditions,I

recognizetheHerculeantaskthatliesinexploringtheserelationshipsonsuchalarge

scale.Therefore,forthisparticularproject,wewillengagemorespecificallywithinthe

circleofNativeAmerican/AmericanIndiandance,culturalidentityandspirituality,while

holdingastruththatNativeandIndigenouspeopletheworldovershare,inequaldepth

andmeaning,similarrelationshipswithmusicandmovement.

Thereisakindofseparationthatcanariseasaresultofexamininganindividual

danceorsongtraditionasastand-aloneinquiry.Similartothedifficultyfoundintrying

toputtowordssomethingthatisexperiencedinternally,thereisaspacecreated,atype

ofvoidthatisbroughtintobeingastheshiftoccursfromonelanguagetoanother,

whendanceandsongaredescribedratherthanlived.Inthisproject,wewillattemptto

experiencethesetraditionsthroughthemoreholisticscopeoflivedexperience,asa

meansforconsideringalargernarrativeofdanceinNativelife.Wewillexplorethe

intrinsicroleofdanceasitrelatestospiritualexpressionandculturalidentitywithin

Nativepeoples,andexploresonganddanceasavehicleforculturalrevitalization,public

educationandcommunityhealing.

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Fig.3.dancerMarcosMadril

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“TheGhostDancehasneverended,

ithascontinued,andthepeoplehaveneverstoppeddancing;

theymaycallitbyothernames,butwhentheydance,

theirheartsarereunitedwiththespiritsofbelovedancestors…”

~LeslieMarmonSilko,AlmanacoftheDead

AnextensiveamountofscholarshiponNativeAmericanpeopleexistswithinthe

realmofmusicanddanceethnography.UponthearrivalofEuropeansettlers,an

accompanyingwaveofstudyensuedthatstrivedtodocumentandstudythepractices

oftheIndigenouspeoplesintheAmericas.Visuallystunningandsomewhataccessible

culturalpractices,musicanddanceobservationsbecameacompellingwaytodocument

andtheorizeabouttheNativepopulation.Insodoing,mostresearchandobservations

focusedontriballyspecificformsandstylesasameansbywhich“tosummarizeand

categorizethepeople”(Shorter173).

ItisimportanttonotethattheseearlyethnologicalstudiesofNativeAmerican

peoplesandcustomswerenotnecessarilyconductedbyacademics,butrather,by

governmentrepresentativesorappointees.Inadditiontodocumentation,theirpurpose

wastoidentifyculturalandpoliticalideologiesthatlaycountertotheemergingwestern

structuresasawayofidentifyingthe“otherness”oftheNativepopulation.“Acquisition

ofIndianlandswasinthiswayanactive,ifnotalwaysovertlyacknowledgedaspectof

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Indianpolicy.Forexample,oneeffectofimplementingtheseassimilationtactics…

removingthemfromhomelands,forbiddingthemtospeaktheirautochthonous

languages…thiswasthedepopulatingofIndianlandforwhitesettlement”(Murphy30).

Thisisvitaltounderstandingtheinherentchallengesthatlayatthefoundation

ofexploringIndigenousdanceandmusicscholarship,asthebodyofworkthatwas

developedfromtheseencountersinformsandinfluencescontemporaryscholarship

today.Fromapproximately1850throughthe1920’s,theseworkscarryawesternsocio-

politicallensthroughwhichweexperiencethedancetraditionsoftheIndigenous

populations;theundercurrentofsettlementandcolonizationsetsatonethatbecomes

analmostimpermeablebarriertoconnectingwithunbiasedanalysisofmanytraditional

practicesandlifeways.In1884,theCommissionerofIndianAffairs(CIA)intheReportof

AgentsinIndianTerritorynotesvariousopinionsonthecontinuousnatureofdanceand

song:“Theymakemedicineseveraltimesduringtheseason,whichoccupiesseveral

monthsoftheirvaluelesstime,”theagentwrites,“somedanceuntiltheydropfrom

sheerexhaustion…theirenduranceisworthyofabettercause.”(qtd.inMurphy276).

Similarly,HenryTeller,SecretaryoftheInteriorin1882,conveysanatmosphereof

contentionwithinwhichtheaimofabolishingdanceritesandcustomsbecomes

prevalentinthenarrativeofdocumentation.Hewrites,“Iregardasagreathindranceto

thecivilizationoftheIndian,viz,thecontinuanceoftheoldheathenishdances,suchas

thesun-dance,scalp-dance&c.Thesefeastsordancesarenotsocialgatheringsforthe

amusementofthesepeople,butonthecontrary,areintendedandcalculatedto

stimulatethewarlikepassionsoftheyoungandtribe”(Murphy37).

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Suchanarrative,asnotedbyTaraBownerinHeartbeatofthePeople,inhibits

thepossibilityofgleaningdeeperunderstandingoftraditionaldanceandmusic

experiencesfromthesematerials.Thelargeamountofdocumentationthatwas

capturedduringthistimeisavaluableandusefularchivethatcontainsastronghistory

oftheseculturalpractices.However,theintrinsicvalueofdancetothecommunityasa

wholeislostintheundercurrentofmarginalizedrhetoric.“Itisimpossibletoescapethe

legacy”Brownernotes,“Nomatterwhatthetheoreticalandracialbiasesofthese

researches,theirfieldrecordingsconstitutealegacythatsurvivedalmostfiftyyearsof

government-sponsoredsuppressionofcultureandreligion.Theirwritings,although

oftenuseful,constituteamixedinheritance,partfactualblessingandparttheoretical

curse”(4).

“Eachoneofuscarriestheloveofthousands,

thosewhostandbehindus,ourancestorswhoguideusintheirhearts

andcarryusintoourfuture…”

~RowenWhite,Mohawk

TowriteaboutthecomplexroleofsonganddanceintheIndigenousworldview

is,inpart,totrytoputintowordssomethingthatcannotbeeasilydefined.Inparticular,

therearemanywaysofapproachingtherealmofdance:asalanguageofmovement,as

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storytelling,andasindividualexplorationsofcreativeexpression.Withineachofthese

descriptionsliesaworldoftruthinthecreativearts;howeverwithinthecontextof

NativeAmericanculture,dancecarrieswithinitsomethingmorefirmlyrootedinour

humannature-danceisanawarenessofbeing,itislife.

Ashumanbeingswearemovedtoexpressourselvesinphysicalmovement,in

responsetobothourinnerandouterworldsanddancebecomesareflectionofour

existenceintimeandspace.“Intheperformanceofsuchbodilymovements,

transformationhappens.Healinghappens.Prayersareanswered.Fearscalmed.Spirits

appeased.Insightsrevealed.Conflictsresolved.Inshort,ritualsappeartothosewho

performthemasnecessaryforlife…”(LaMothe156).Danceisauniqueaspectof

culturallifeasexpressedinceremony,ritual,andcelebrationthatispasseddownfrom

onegenerationtoanotherinNativetradition.Todanceistocarrymorethanaloveof

movementandself-expression;itistobeknowledgeableaboutthestoriesofcreation,

ofancestralheroes,andtheinterconnectionofthepeople–inotherwords,dancersare

knowledgeholdersoflanguage,cultureandtradition.

WithinNativeworldviews,dancebecomesanavenuethroughwhichweexplore

ourconceptsofstory,history,andthenaturalworld.Thedanceworkcarriesa

substantialrolewithinthelivingtraditionasanexplorationofouressence,expanding

andcontracting.AsJacquelineSheaMurphydescribes,dancework“investigatesour

waysofliving,familialandtribalconnections,processes,dedicationandintentionswith

whichthedanceismade”andpresented(7).

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Thedancebecomestheembodimentoflifethatisnotdisconnectedfromday-

to-daylivingpractices.Dance,atitscore,shares.Thedancerbecomesastoryteller,

holdingwithinthefluctuationsofmovement-shiftsinthehead,eyes,handsandsteps-

theinterwovendynamicofthepeopleandthenaturalworldwithinwhichthepeople

live.Amongtheselifeways,dancebecomesadeliveryoflivingcustomsandnative

science;ittransmitscollectiveknowledge,wheretoplantandharvest,howtoproperly

honorthelifeofananimalthathasgivenitselftosustainthepeople,theperilsof

misconduct,thelanguageofthelandscape,storiesofhowtheriverrunsineachseason,

andrelationshipstocelestialnavigation.Danceisembeddedineverystageoflife-from

birth,tochild,toadolescence,toadult,toelderanddeath–andinitsritualof

celebrationinconjunctionwithceremony,dancecanbeseenasanexpressionoflife.

Thisawarenessofdanceattheheartoftraditionallifepermeateseveryaspectofthe

community,asitisrootedinthebeginningsofthepeople.

Asaculture,theNativeworldisclassifiedamongstscholarsasoral-based

societies,thosewhohavereliedontheoraltransmissionofhistories,stories,andother

knowledgetosustainculturesandidentitiesandmaintainahistoricalrecordof

communities.Withinsomeoftheoldestoraltraditionswebegintoseetheemergence

ofdancemovementinconnectingthepeopletotheverybeginningsoflife.

OneexampleofthismaybefoundintheoralhistoriesoftheOjbweNation,

originallyfromtheGreatLakesRegionofNorthAmerica.Thefollowingexcerptisfrom

anoriginstorysharedbyanAnishnaabegman,describinginhisvoicehowdancecame

tobefoundatthebeginningsoffirsthumanlife:

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Toexplain[that]dance,youhavetogobacktothebeginningoftimeofthe

Anishnaabegpeople.OureldersteachusthatwhentheCreatormadethe

universe,afterhemadeMotherEarthandafterhemadeallthingshere–all

theselivingthings–theytellusthathewantedsomeonehereonthisMother

Earthtoliveinharmonywiththesethingshecreated,totakecareofthemina

goodway.AndthatiswhentheysaythathecreatedtheAnishnaabegmanand

loweredhimdownontothisMotherEarth…WecallourselvesAnishnaabeg.And

thatmeansthefirstpeopleloweredontothisMotherEarth.Andashewasbeing

loweredhecouldseethebeautyinwherehewasgoing.Hecouldseetheforests

andtheriversandthevalleys.Allthesethingshewasseeingforthefirsttime.

AndashegotclosertothisMotherEarthhecouldseetheanimalsrunninginthe

woods.Hecouldseethebirdsflyingintheair,fishswimminginthewater,and

couldseeallthebeautifulplants.Andallthesethingshewasseeingforthefirst

timewasthingshewasgoingtotakecareof.AndhisfirststepsonthisMother

Earth–veryfirststeps–weresoftandgentle.Sosoftthathedidnotoffend…so

hewalkedgentlyandthatisthewaythattraditionalmendancetodayand

traditionalwomen.Theydanceinthatway….WhenAnishnaabegfirstcame

downthelivingthingsmadeapromisethattheywouldtakecareofus.Theytold

theCreatortheywouldgiveusfoodtoeat,clothestowear,thingstomakeour

homeswith.AndwestillkeepthatpromisethatwemadetotheCreator

thousandsofyearsago,tocare[fortheminreturn]…Whenwedance,wedance

inbuckskins.Ourbustlesaremadeofeaglefeathers,andourropesaremadeof

horsehair.Wecometogether.(Browner123-124)

InKeepersoftheEarth,JanetteArmstrongalsodiscussesOkanaganlifeina

similarmanner,asanexperienceofdeepacknowledgmentofourinterconnectednessto

thenaturalworld.“TheOkanaganteachesthatwearetinyandunknowledgeableinour

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individualselves;itisthewhole-Earthpartofusthatcontainsimmenseknowledge”(6).

TheOkanaganreflectsahumanbeing’splaceincreation;remindsthepeoplethat

disconnectioncreatesdiscord.Thisexperienceofmeaning,wholeness,and

interconnectednessbeyondselfisarelationshipfoundatthecenterofNativespiritual

expression.

Theroleofthedancerintheexpressionoftheseprofoundrelationshipsis

essentialtothehealthofthecommunity.Dancersbecomeculturalbearersofthat

connectiontocreationandreflectbacktothecommunitytheembodimentofthe

relationshipwiththewhole.Theinterweavingoftheserelationshipsisan

acknowledgementofthediversityoflifebeyondtheindividualhumanexperienceand

thedancebecomesapowerfulreminderofthatconnectionineveryritualofprayeror

celebration.Thedeep-seatednatureofdancetoconnecttolife,landandpeople,isheld

inthestrengthtoexamineandexpressthoseinterconnections,aslifeitselfisreflected

intheactofdancing.Byitsverynature,danceisanactofcreation,and,assuch,isalso

anactoftogetherness.

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Fig.1DancerEddieMadril

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“Idanceforfamily,forprayer,andforkeepingsome

indigenousculturealiveinanever-changingworld.

Idanceasawayofbeing-andcarryingculturalpride.”

~MarcosMadril,PascuaYaqui

InordertoexploretheinterconnectionofIndigenousdance,identityand

spirituality,wemustask,atthebeginning,whatdoesitmeantobeNativeAmerican?To

beNativeAmericanintheUnitedStatestodayhasimplicationsbeyondcultureandrace,

asithasbothanexternalsocietyrelationshipandaninternalcommunityrelationship.

Fromoneperspective,beingNativeAmericancanmeangovernmentsupport,financial

supportfromtribalaffiliations,accesstolandrights,accesstofreehealthcarebenefits,

andaccesstoeducationfunds.Fromanotherviewpoint,beingNativeAmericantoday

canalsomeancurrenteducationdropoutratesoftwicethenationalaveragelinked

directlytosuicideratesamongNativeyouth,disproportionatelyhighratesofalcohol

andsubstanceabuse,mentalhealthissues,diabetesandobesity.Accordingtoarecent

USCensusReport,moreNativeAmericanfamilies(15.9%,morethandoublethenext

racialgroupat7%)livebelowthefederalpovertylineandhavethelowestmedian

earningscomparedtothenationalaverage(USCensus,2012).Thisdichotomous

experienceofexternalNativeidentity,withitsperceivedbenefitsanditsrealities,exist

onalargescalewithintheNativecommunityandcreatesakindofwesternsocietal

pressuretodefinitivelydefineNativeAmericanorIndian.Thesemorecontemporary

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outsidepressureslayerontopofotheraspectsoftheidentityissue,suchasconnections

toancestry,culturaltradition,andculturalexpression.

Identityasksthequestions,“WhoamI?”and“WhowouldIliketobe?”This

drivesindividualstodeeplyinvestigatethemselvesthroughareviewofselfin

relationshiptointernalandexternalexperiences.AsnotedbyAndrewJolivetteand

SaraSutler-Cohen,thenotionofself“becomesvitalandisinherentlyconnectedtothe

imagination,tointerpretation,toexperienceandtoexpression–allofwhichis

constantlyshifting”(133).Formany,thequesttoselfbeginswithculturalidentity,

asking“WhoamI?”inrelationshiptomyfamily,myancestorsandmyculture.

Currently,theargumentsofdefiningAmericanIndianidentitycenteronthis

complicatedquestion–doesidentityoriginatefromgeneticsoraffiliation?Inthecase

ofIndianidentity,isitstatic(traditional)orcanitchange(contemporary)?Historically,

AmericanIndiansandnon-IndiansalikehavedefinedIndianidentitythroughvarious

aspectsofculture,law,andbiologyand,whilethethreeoverlapinspecificways,more

significantly,allhavetiestooutdatednineteenth-andearlytwentieth-centurytheories

ofrace(Archuleta1).Inotherwords,geneticsbecomes,onpaper,theidentifyingfactor.

Whatthismeansisthatthecommonthreadinthecurrentofficialrecordofexternal

identificationof“NativeAmerican”doesnottakeintoconsiderationpeople’slived

experiences,howtheyseethemselvesandhowtheycarrytheircultureforward.

“Ididn’tknow,”EddieMadril,PascuaYaquianddancer,reflectsinhispersonal

essay“BeingIndianfortheFirstTime”.“Thetruthis,Ididn’tknowwhatitmeanttobe

anIndianatthatyoungage.WasIsupposedtodosomething?Actacertainway?Dress

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acertainlook?Intheend,itdidn’tmatter.IwasanIndian.Thatmademespecial,andI

wasadancer,thatmademyconnectiontotheNativecommunityaseriouslife

commitmenttomyselfandmyculture.”

AsNativeAmericancultureandlifemovesforwardintime,danceremainsaway

bywhichNativepeopleconnecttothelivingtraditionsoftheirheritage,grounding

theminacertainrespectoftheirnativeidentity.RulanTangen(Métis)isadancer,

choreographerandfounderoftheDancingEarthDanceCompany.Herworkvalues

movementasanexpressionofindigenousworldviewsanddanceasasacredritualfor

transformationandhealing.Shedescribesdanceasanenergeticconnectionwithall

formsoflifeandholdsthebeliefthat,“todanceistolive,toliveistodance.”In

IntertribalNativeAmericanMusicintheUnitedStates:ExperiencingMusic,Expressing

Culture,writtenbynativesinger,educatorandauthorJohn-CarlosPerea(Mescalero

Apache),Tangensharesherreflectionsondance,identity,communityandtradition:

Iinitiallywantedtodancefancyshawl[inpowwow],asashowcaseformy

physicalityandtechnicalskillthatIhadgrownthroughmyyearsofdance

training,butmygrandmotherGeraldinedeclaredthatIhadtoomuchofthat

crazycontemporaryinfluenceinmylife,andwantedmetodanceinthemost

ancientformofwomen’straditionaldance.So,withcharacteristicdetermination

IsetmyselftolearnasmuchasIcouldbywatching,asking,anddancing,

dancing,dancing.Shewatchedmepracticethesimpletraditionalwomen’sstep,

theuprightelegantpostureandgentlepulseoftheknees,withdelicate

variationsofsidesteps,walkingsteps,andliftingoffan.Iwaslearningtomove

withlesseffort,butevolvingconnectiontothemeaning.AlthoughIhadinitially

wantedtodoamorephysicallyexpressivedance,Ieventuallyfoundthatthe

repetitiverhythmofthetraditionalwomen’ssteprevealedtometheessenceof

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allmovement,theheartbeatoftheearth,thecounterforceupwhenyouare

downanddownwhenyouareup.Itwasagroundednessdownintothecoreof

theearthbalancedwithupperbodypoisedasifhangingfromastarinthesky,

withquietspiralingnuancesallemanatingfromthecentralpowerofthespine.

Therearemanyvariationsofwomen’straditionaldance,asmanyasthereare

clans,bands,tribes,FirstNations,anddreamvisioners.Itisforeachwoman’s

personalconnectionwiththelivingtraditionsofherculture.Thematerialsof

currentlife,suchascloth,beads,metals-areintegratedasrelevanttothe

ongoingmanifestationofculture,whichstaysvitalandevolving…Eachvision

shouldbewitnessedwithrespect,asabeautifulembodimentofeachwoman’s

relationshipwithherculture,inthatmomentoftimeandplace.Ifeelthat

dancersshouldbemindfulofthisrespectforthemselves,inhowtheycarry

themselvesduringthethesetimes,whentheyarerepresentingtheirancestors.

Evenpowwows,whichareessentiallyintertribalsocials,areatimetoremember

howtobehaveinrelationshipwitheachother,usingwordsandthoughtsina

kindandpositiveway,andbehavinginreciprocity,fromafoundationofrespect

forself-determinationandsovereignty.(qtd.inPerea123-124)

Throughtheirjourneysofselfandculturalidentity,MadrilandTangen

experiencedanceasaprofoundlinkto“being”nativeandwhatitmeanstobeinan

ever-changingworldofculturalshiftsandmodernization.Danceconnectsthembackto

traditionalpracticesthatarevitalexpressionsofidentityandspirituality.Withintheir

reflectionsisadeepawarenessoftheroleofadancerwithinthecommunity;aswellas

danceasanintegralpartofbothculturalexpressionandculturalpreservation.

Removingdancefromindigenouscommunitywouldbetoremovetheheartofthe

people.Withintheselivedexperiences,danceismorethantheindividualritualsthat

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includecomingofageceremonies,sundances,harvestsongs,prayersandcommunity

celebrations–danceisthelivingheartofthepeople.Itislifework.

Fig.2dancerAnecitaHernandez

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“Idanceforthosethathavedreamtofahealthyfuture

fortheirchildrenandgrandchildren.Idanceformyancestorsand

thosethathavefoughtforalltheblessingsthatweareabletoenjoy

aswemoveforwardinourjourneyascaretakersofthewaterandland.

Idancetomaintainharmonyinmyheartandmind.”

~AnecitaHernandez,Diné(Navajo)

AsNativeAmericandancehasevolvedthroughhistory,ithasshiftedand

reshapeditsexpressionsinrelationtotheshiftingandreshapingofculturallife.Yet

throughitstransformations,danceremainsacentralpillarinbothindividualand

communityconnectionstothehealthandsustainabilityofthepeople.Fromtraditional

lifetocontemporarytimesdancefostersrelationships,protectionandrestorationof

traditionalknowledge,celebrationandprayer.Asdanceweavesinandoutoftraditional

practices-throughchanginglandsandreservationsintourbansettingsand

contemporaryculture-itcontinuestoreflectthepeople’sinterconnectionsinlife.

Inadditiontofamilyandtribalaffiliations,thereexistsalargernationalNative

communityidentity,whichharnessesanotherlayerofindigenousconnectionand

togetherness.Theimportanceofculturalartstraditionsintheprotectionand

revitalizationofindigenousknowledgeandlifeways,isreflectedintheabilityofdance

toempowerindividualsandcommunitiesinthedirectapplicationoftheirtraditional

knowledge.Asknowledgeholders,dancersembodythatknowledgeandshareitwith

thelargercommunity,creatingconnection.Aprofoundexampleofthisisthepowwow.

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PowwowscameaboutduringatimeinNativeAmericanhistorywhen,among

otherthings,manyNativepeopleweredispersedorforciblymovedawayfromtheir

traditionallands,tribesandcommunities.In1952,theUrbanRelocationProgram

movedlargegroupsofNativepeoples,fromvarioustribalbackgrounds,fromtheir

homelandstosevenmajorcitiesacrosstheUnitedStates.Theresultwasthatmany

suddenlyfoundthemselvesaloneinlargedenselypopulatedurbanenvironments.Inan

efforttofindstabilityandcommunityinthesesituations,Nativepeoplecametogether

ingatherings,similarinstyletothoselong-heldgatheringsbackhome,toconnectwith

cultureandtraditions.Thesegatheringscenteredaroundthevitalexpressionsofsong

anddanceandbecameawayfortheNativecommunitytoconnectandheal.

Powwows,bynature,arenottriballyspecific;rathertheyareacomingtogether

ofNativepeopleinalargercontextofindigenousidentityandconnection.Sincetheir

riseinpopularity,powwowshavebeensurroundedwithasenseofcontroversyintheir

“authentic”nature,withpeoplequestioningapotentialhomogenizationofdanceand

songtraditions,stylesandexpressionsthatresultinalossofindividualtribalidentity

andthereforealossofauthenticpractices.However,inalargercontext,theopposite

maybetrue.Asthepowwowconnectsindividualswiththelargernetworkofindigenous

identityandpractice,itreinforcespersonaltribalaffiliations.Forexample,aDiné

individualmayexperiencebothconnectionandseparatenessinthepowwowdance

arena.AdualexperiencethatremindsthemofboththelargerNativerelationshipto

danceasembodiedknowledge;butisalsostrengthenstheirparticularDinétribal

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identityinstandinginthedancearenaasarepresentativeoftheirparticularcultural

expressionsandrelationships.

Thisdualisticexperiencecanalsobeseenintheparticulardanceandsongstyles

thatarecommonlyseenatpowwows.Thoughpowwowsaredrawnfromhistorical

tradition,thesestylesarebeingexpressedinthepresentandtheyservecontemporary

needsforindividualsandcommunity.Withinthelayersofdancerandcommunity

experiencethepowwowisalivingevent,centraltothelivesofthepeoplewhocome

togetherforachanceto“dresstodance”(Browner2).Regardless,powwowsreflect

theprofoundnatureofdanceandsongtoconnectandkeepaliveNativeidentitiesand

culturalheritageintheheartsandlivesofthepeople.

Fig.4dancerSaraMoncada

20

“Wecanfeeltheland,

andwecanfeelthebeat,

andwecanfeelthevibration,

andthatistheconnection…”

~PabloPalma,dancer(qtd.inMurphy217)

Indigenouspeoplelivestronglyinthesignificanceoftheinterconnectionofall

lifeinthenaturalworldandthisisexpressedindifferentwayswithinthecultural

practicesandtraditionsofthepeople.Danceasawayoflifeliesatthecenterof

echoingthisdeepconnectioninallofitsexpressionsofstory,creation,socialcustoms,

prayerandhealing.Danceholdswithinitsformsandexpressionsthebeatingheartof

thepeopleand,byitsverynature,danceisanactoftogetherness,bringinginto

embodiedbeingthevoiceandlifeofthecommunity.Danceismorethanspecificstyles

ofritualandceremony,evenmorethanrecountinghistoryorexpressingemotion;

rather,itisitselfapracticeofknowledgecapableofaccessingdifferentwaysofknowing

andbeing.

Indigenousdanceisalivingformofexplorationandinvestigationthatnotonly

reflectsthelifejourneyoftheindividual,butalsothatoftheentirecommunity.Itisa

voiceofthepeople,alanguageofbodyandmovementthatallowsustoexistinthis

worldandexpandandcontractinlivingrelationship.Danceisdeeplyrootedand

embeddedinsideofexpressionsofself,communityandtradition,holdinginsacred

21

spacetheessentialnatureofcreationandconnection.IntheIndigenousmind,dance

andartisticexpressionarenotseparatedfromdailyliving;rathercreativityispartof

whoweareashumanbeingsanddancebringsusbacktowhoweareatourcenter,to

thatcommonhumanplaceofbeingindeeprelationshiptothelandandtoeachother.

Thatistheprofoundandunstoppablepowerofdance.

Lifeisexperiencedinthebody.

Itisthemeetingofourinternalselfandtheexternalrealmthattakesshapeandradiates

outofourcenterandconnectsustotheworld.

Itisourvoice,ourstory,ourbeing,ourgifttothatwhichconnectsustoall

–itistheecologyoflifeembodied,itisallofus-theweinme.

~SaraMoncada,Yaqui

22

Fig5.dancerEllieCruz

23

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