Cedar Woman
Page 7
Who is he? Lena breathed to herself, as she watched him dance along with the other participants.
Nickie grabbed her hand and pulled.
“Come on,” she said, “We can at least be one of the heartbeat dancers.
Lena followed, and took her place beside Nickie along the edge of the arena. Bending her knees in time to the beat of the powwow drum,
she mimicked a heartbeat.
“Women are the heartbeat of the tribe, and demonstrate this by supporting the dancers in the center of the arena,” a friendly woman explained earlier to Nickie and Lena.
Gazing at the male dancer, mesmerized by his movements and artistry, she leaned toward Nickie and whispered,
“Do you know who that is?”
“I haven’t a clue,” Nickie replied.
"I wonder what kind of dancer he is,” Lena questioned.
“I have absolutely no idea,” Nickie retorted, a bit impatient with
Lena’s constant inquiries about the young man.
“He's a Grass Dancer,” offered a voice to Lena's left.
36 chahn-chay-ghah - drum
“Hi, I'm Julie Spotted Eagle Horse, originally from Pine Ridge rez, of the Pesla37 Oyate38. Just call me ‘Julie’ or ‘Spot,’ everyone else does ennit. Anyway, he's a Grass Dancer, you can tell by his regalia and the way he moves. See how he bends and sways like a blade of grass in the wind? He is one of the old style Grass Dancers, the ones that try to become one with the spirit of the Grass, so that they can better control it.”
Lena watched the young man, mesmerized by his dance.
“The Grass Dancer,” Julie continued, “lays the grass down in the arena for the other dancers. To do that, he must become the grass,” she finished.
Lena smiled at the friendly woman who stood before her in magnificent regalia. She noticed that Julie had a slight accent, one that was hard to place. Wait! Now she had it. It was exactly like the accent of Elaine Miles, who played Marilyn Whirlwind in Northern Exposure. Yes, that’s it! Lena was intrigued.
When Unci announced that they were going to a powwow, Lena was excited. She wanted to know more about her people. When Lena told Nickie about the trip, she begged to come along. Comanche by birth, Nickie too had not been given the opportunity to be around other Native Americans, living as they did in the Greater Columbus Area, which showed a census of less than 1 percent.
Lena’s father’s tragedy consumed the small family, and what teachings might have occurred, did not. Instead, Lena continued to learn how to cook, so that her mother could care for her father.
Lena gave herself a mental shake, and turned again to the impressive woman who stood beside her.
“Your dress is beautiful,” Lena admired.
“Wopila, thanks! It was my grandmother's originally. I've added to it, of course, but essentially it's her dress. I am a Northern Plains Traditional Buckskin Dancer, that is, Sioux Style Traditional.”
“Do you go to many powwows?" Nickie asked with a questioning
look.
“Yeah, I try to get to as many powwows as I can, depending on how
‘Protector,’ my war pony/rez rocket, is feeling ennit!” replied Julie with a laugh, referring to her second-hand truck.
Chuckling, Lena queried:
“So, do you mind telling me about your dress, and what everything means?” Lena asked with an admiring look.
37 Pesh-lah – The Bald Heads, the Green Berets of the Sioux
38 Oh-yah-tay – People
Julie smiled at the eager young woman, happy to comply. She liked
Lena, and her friend Nickie, and appreciated their respect.
There was something about Lena. Julie wasn’t sure yet, but she had a feeling that this would be an encounter she would never forget: there was something about the young woman, something that spoke to her own
woman’s heart.
“Well, first of all,” Julie continued, “the style of the dress itself is a hold over from the early rez period when we first got our hands on white man's cloth.39 Many of the women started to create a fusion of trade wool, or trade cloth, with the more traditional leather. The shells on my dress represent Elk teeth, used originally to decorate our dresses.
“Back then, your choices were either Elk teeth or quill work, and since Unci got her clinic teeth, she doesn't do quill work anymore,” Julie joked, referring to her grandmother’s false teeth.
“Elk teeth are expensive, and hard to get, so Unci used these Ring Top Cowrie shells instead,” Julie offered, referring to the small, creamy shells ringed in gold.
“The braid wraps are made from a single otter skin that I had to split in half, and then I actually had to behead the poor thing in order to be able to use it! Otherwise, they would be dragging the ground. And, these ties here are for decoration, I think my auntie made them for me, but I can't remember. The pattern is an old sunburst design, and has been in our family for generations. The satin kerchief is sort of a holdover from earlier times as well, and it is good for hiding some minor flaws on the back of the dress.
“This long black, white, and red ribbon thing, with all the decorations hanging from the back of the kerchief, is a 'dragger' and it has a lot of meaning for me. The red ribbons are to honor the warriors
and veterans in my family, to let them know that I remember them and
honor them. The black and white are my personal colors, I had to earn the right to wear them by being struck by lightning twice. The pins and such show part of my medicine. The little lightning Kachina40 was given to me by a good friend named Mike, who is also a lightning survivor. He lives in Tucson, and I think he got it from one of the Dine41 artisans down there. Anyway, the spotted Eagle feather and the horse represent my name," Julie continued.
“The breastplate and choker are supposed to represent the armor that our boys wore back before the whites came, and they were effective at stopping arrows and bullets to an extent. The leggings and moccasins
39 Much of dialog contributed by Julie Spotted Eagle Horse
40 Meaning “Life Bringer” now seen in Native American forms of art as in dolls, pottery and jewelry.
41 Navajo Artists
are traditionally done in an old family pattern, and you will notice that I am covered from the neck down, ya? That's because Sioux women are very modest, especially the Traditionals, so as a Traditional Dancer, I try to remember that. When I am in regalia, I need to be modest and ladylike, although a lot of times that is hard for me!” Julie chortled.
“Let's see... my shawl was hand-made by me, and I can't remember how many hours it took me to hand tie the fringe. The shawls are also a hold over from the early to mid-rez period when the whites started
introducing us to the idea of social dances.
“Many of the women wore shawls back then, and we try to carry on that tradition by carrying one as part of our regalia. They are treated with the same sort of respect as the American flag, and are never supposed to touch the ground if you can help it.
“Okay, my beaded bag here is sort of like a purse, I can carry a lot of stuff in here, but mostly just money and maybe some tobacco in case I need it for whatever reason. Since tobacco is sacred, gifting a person
with tobacco is a sign of respect, and keeping it on hand is always a good
idea.
“I won the crown in a Senior Ladies' contest last year, and I have also won several championships as well. This year I am defending my title as Ladies Traditional Buckskin Champion and Champion Potato Dancer42 at this event!
“Let's see...oh yeah! My feathers! Cha! They are the real things. The plumes on the back of my head here are from an immature Bald Eagle, and have been mounted on an African Porcupine quill. Can you
imagine the size of critter that produced this! I think that it is pretty close
to six inches long ennit! Anyway, one of my cousins, Jerry from Ancient Visions, did the mounting and beadwork for me. This little cluster of fluffs here on the s
ide are from a Red Tailed Hawk's tail, and plumes like these and the Eagle are highly prized by NdNz43.
“The plumes represent femininity and grace, so the women like to wear them! My fan here is worth about $65,000 if it were to belong to a non-NdN, because it is made from an immature Golden Eagle wing. It's illegal for non-NdN people to have raptor feathers, because they are protected. You need a CDIB card, or special permits, to have them. I think that the fine is something like $5,000 and prison time if you are caught with them without the right papers.”
“What's a CDIB?" Nickie asked, with a quizzical look.
"A CDIB is part of my tribal enrollment paperwork. It’s basically a tribal census number, and CDIB means 'Certificate of Degree of Indian
42 A potato is placed between the foreheads of two dancers. The last two dancers to keep the potato in place are the winners.
43 Indians – plural for NdN
Blood'. It documents, not only your family lineage and tribal membership, but also shows your blood quantum. I'm a quarter blood myself, but I still qualified for enrollment. It's kind of a touchy subject for most of us, as we are the ONLY race that has to prove our blood quantum to the government in order to establish our identity. Cha! Maybe we ought to start making the other races prove their blood quantum ennit, although somehow I doubt that would work.44”
“So you are a Sioux? From Pine Ridge?” Questioned Lena. She was intrigued. She couldn’t help but notice the use of ‘ennit,’ a term used by her parents. It made her feel close to this kind woman whom she’d just met.
“Yep, Pine Ridge born and bred! I'm from the Pesla Oyate, or familial group. My ex says that I have more relatives than trees have leaves! We jokingly call it 'skinship'45 in the NdN world...you know how it is when you get two NdNz together ya? Within five minutes we will have figured out how we are related to each other, even if we are from two different nations ennit!” Julie grinned. Lena laughed, and again noted a similarity. Her father loved to tell NdN jokes.
“You look like a Lakota yourself, what Tiyospiya46 are you?” “Well,” offered Lena, “my mother was born on the Crow Creek
reservation, and is of the Pehan47 Oyate. My father was born on
Rosebud, and is of the Wiacca Ska48 Oyate. They left Rosebud the day they were married, and traveled to Southern Ohio where I was born.”
Julie nodded, as if reaffirming a conclusion she had come to, and then continued with the “lesson.”
"See that guy over there, the one with the big ball of feathers on his
head and the old style outfit?" asked Julie, pointing with her fan.
"He's my cousin Bill Thunderhawk. He’s a Traditional dancer. One of the best! The guy over there with the huge black and white bustles is my cousin Chris War Bonnet, and he's a Men's Fancy Dancer. He's a Dakota, but that's ok, we try to overlook his speech impediment! Them Dakota's, they don't talk right!" Julie chuckled.
Lena took advantage of the stately woman’s reference and asked, “Your accent, it’s like the actress on Northern Exposure.”
“Ya,” replied Julie, “that’s a Northern Plains accent and most NdNz have something similar, ennit. I thought your parents are Lakota. They
don’t speak like me?”
44 End dialog by Spotted Eagle Horse
45 NdN term for common ancestors
46 Tdee-yosh-pee-yah – Family
47 Peh-hahn – Crane
48 Wee-ah-kah-shkah – White Plume
“Ate and Ina lived in Southern Ohio for many years before I was born, mostly around farmers and such. I guess they must have lost their accents. It’s lovely, Julie,” Lena averred, smiling.
“Wopila,” Julie replied, returning her smile.
Julie gazed at Lena for a long minute, as if making a decision.
“Just a minute,” Julie said, and hurried away. Turning around, she waved and said, “Be right back!”
“Wow!” Lena breathed. “There is so much to learn. You know, Ate and Ina taught me a lot of the language and basic beliefs, especially
after Ate’s accident, but I guess they wanted to blend in. You know, we were the only Native Americans in May Hill, at least that I know of, so I
can’t really blame them. Julie is so nice to tell us all of this,” Lena
exclaimed.
“She likes you,” Nickie offered.
“Well, she likes you too!” laughed Lena. “Not like she does you,” Nickie added.
Julie returned with two shawls draped over her arm. “Here,” she said. Handing Nickie a white shawl with black fringe, she turned and offered a teal shawl with mauve fringe to Lena. “Wear these,” she
instructed, “whenever you go into the arena. It’s a sign of respect.”
“Thank you,” exclaimed Lena and Nickie in unison.
“We’ll take good care of them and return them when the powwow is over.
“Sni,49 they are a gift.”
Turning to Lena again, she pointed to a tipi at the perimeter of the powwow grounds.
“Hey, see that blue and white lodge at the end of the row? Why don't you both come by after we dance the Drum out50 and hang out, ya? My chia, Joe, might come by for some Forty-Niners.51 I can make some wakalapi.52 Now, I must go. The women dancers are getting ready to start.” Toksa.”53
49 Shnee – No
50 Dance to the Powwow Drum until it ends for the night
51 Less formally structured NdN love songs which include English
52 Wah-kahl-lah-pee – Coffee
Chapter Nine
The True Peace
The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship,
their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center
of the universe dwells Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit,
and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the third is that which is made between two nations.
But above all, you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is known that true peace which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men.
Black Elk, Oglala Sioux & Spiritual Leader (1863 - 1950)
“Hau Kolas!54 So what did you think of your first day at your first powwow? Pretty cool ennit! Have a seat!” grinned Julie, gesturing to the camp chairs scattered in front of the tipi, as Lena, Nickie, Vicki and Reva approached her lodge.
“Watch out for those ropes there, tied to the spear. Those are holding my smoke flaps where I want them.” Julie warned.
“Are you hungry? How about something to drink? I have some wakalapi, or water, or soda in that cooler there! Are you sure you are not
hungry? I have some fry bread in that bowl over there,” Julie offered,
pointing with her lips.
Again, Lena was struck by the similarity between her parents, grandmother, and Julie. It had never struck her as unusual that her parents would use their lips, instead of a finger or thumb, to indicate which direction they would like for you to look, until she saw Julie do it. It made her warm toward the generous woman even more. She felt relaxed and at home.
"Have you ever seen the inside of a tipi? No? Well then go ahead and have a peek inside! I think that my husband Matthew is done changing. He had better be by now!
Did you see the Traditional Dancer with the white, blue and red
regalia and HUGE roach earlier? That's him. I keep telling him that I will make an NdN out of him yet! I keep teasing him that he is my ‘token
54 Hoe Colas – Hello friends
white guy,’ and the running joke in my family is that a lot of my male relatives have blonde or red-headed white women hangin' around lookin' for NdN names, and now I can go one better 'cause I have my own cowboy! Well, I think he's a keeper anyway!" Julie joked with a smile, a
s her guests looked inside the tipi with awed expressions.