DancingBlueButterfly

I am a 19 year old blackfoot woman and I was told that blackfoot women can do the bustle danceand the grass dance. I need to know if this is true. I have the gift of sight which has been devolping over the years, and I see myself in bustles and grass dance regalia, other people also can see me in bustles.

My mom tells me that if I want to dance, no matter what it is no one can stop me if my heart tells me I should be doing it, and the other members of our native community feel the same way.

But at the same time I don't want to get into trouble with the reservation. I've found little proove online about being able to do either dance. If you have any information... please help.

WocusWoman

I notice you live in the North East US. You really need to have or make contact with your people, the Blackfeet. I think you will find that you will run upon a lot of resistance and what you have been told might be ill-advised.

superndngyrl

I seen some ladies dancing in teens fancy way back in the late 80s and 90s. They dressed like boys and didn't wear makeup when they danced. It was hard to distinguish between them and boys.

I can't give you guidance on the proper thing to do but if you do it, i think u should try to blend and not wear pink butterflies on your outfit or someething like that.

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The only time its too late to start dancing is when you're dead.

Creewoman05

I agree with contacting your own people. Follow what customs you are brought up with, not with what any old Tom Dick or Harry could tell you.

DancingBlueButterfly

I would contact my "own" people had I the means to do it. The reservation is way up in Canada, and even though there are a few blackfoot within the community I belong to, none of them can give me straight answers because they are men.

But even though my name is Dancing Blue Butterfly... the only regalia I have with Butterflies on it is the fancy shawl I made last year and traded to my mom for the fancy shawl regalia she made. I'm not very girly and don't like pink. So that would not be an issue.

I also didn't mean to cause any trouble, but I was advised to ask my questions here, and I wasn't aware this website catered to people of one certain area. I'm sorry.

Creewoman05

So is it only females can give straight answers

I would advise, if at all possible seek your own people in person. The web has many different people, with different answers.

What is right for one person, might not be right for the next. if it is meant to happen, it will.

Wojapi4Me

In my opinion, you should go home and ask around there. If you don't have the means to go home then you don't have the means to be a dancer. Just my thoughts. The money spent on your outfit could be spent on a plane ticket or bus pass.

I'm not one to tell anyone they can or can't do anything. You have to decide that for yourself. But, I will tell you that you'll run into a LOT of opposition to what you're doing. Right or wrong...I have no idea...but it'll happen I assure you. So, make sure that you're strong enough to deal with that.

Good luck.

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If pro is the opposite of con, then wouldn't progress be the opposite of...lol

Lakota Wiyan

I absolutely agree Wojapi! Butterfly Dancer, if you have to go to an internet site and ask strangers about something this important to you, you are probably already going down the wrong path. Dont come in here and ask questions if you might not like the answers. People are going to be honest with you, and you need to respect their opinions too. I have a feeling that you are going to ask and ask and ask everywhere until you hear what you want to hear.

MY opinion ... You are going to do what you want to do, even if it possibly goes against your own tribal beliefs and customs, and even against local and national powwow conventions. The only thing you can do is toughen your skin and prepare to accept, with graciousness, the criticism your "visions" might have set you up for. I believe that if your VISIONS made you think of this, you would be taking it more seriously and treating it with the respect it deserves and not just flaunting it around and treating it so casually. If VISIONS are your thing, you need to SERIOUSLY get on track with that, and NOT play "visionary" on the internet. Its just foolish...

again..jest my opinion!

WocusWoman

In my book its ok to seek and ask questions, but you need to be open to what people are really saying and suggesting about this subject. Its not useful for you to get hurt feelings about it either. You live in an area of the country that I personally know many people come to Alaska from, and to be kind, for the most part they are "pretend indians." I don't mean all, but some, and they bring along an attitude that if they want to be indian, they will give themselves an indian name, puts hides on their skin, and the rest of us are expected to take them at face value. If its that important for you to do things properly, then go visit your Blackfoot people, in the lands of your ancestors.