This is the second time I 've tried this...so bear with me, please.
When I first started gourd dancing some thirty years I was told that Indian people frowned on using natural gourds for the dance. Since then I have become familiar with many of the other things used as 'resonating chambers'(to borrow a rather pompous sounding term from Dr. Howard's treatise), from aluminum SALT shakers and L'eggs eggs to christmas tree ornaments, tank floats and custom made silver and gold cans. Interesingly enough I was also warned about using pepper shakers as they were reserved for 'P'eyote people. I have come across an occasional gourd being used for the dance but they were not the like those used in church, they were huge. Some were almost as big as soft balls, and so loud that the dancer had to dampen the sound with his thumb. I've also noticed some eastern men, Seneca,Cherokee etc, dancing with horn and shell rattles.
[This message has been edited by raptor (edited September 23, 2000).]
|