Waabi-binesi

Okay, here's the deal. I want to start dancing next year and I have a problem. First off I want to make this very clear that this is not a criticism of anyone. This is just my personal desire to honour my Ojibway heritage.

I am a full blooded Ojibway from the Saugeen First Nation and I don't want to dance somebody else's dances. I don't feel right about putting on Lakota regalia and dancing plains style dances when I am a woodlands Ojibway. I have heard some elders say they are bothered that the Plains culture is being stolen by everyone and destroyed and I don't want to insult my Lakota/Dakota friends by dressing up in their regalia and dancing (probably pretty badly at first!) their dances. Now, I know all about the jingle dress dance, but obviously I'm not going to be doing that! lol

I have looked all over the place to try and find out what our dances are and how they are done. Are there traditional Ojibway dances?? Where would I find out how to make a traditional mens Ojibway dancing regalia? I am more interested in just dancing at traditional powows for now, so I don't mind if I don't get it right the first time, but I really want to dance my own people's dances and not someone elses. I have seen dancers from Six Nations performing their own dances, the Lakota/Dakota people performing theirs, and I want to perform mine. If anyone could help me, I would be very grateful.

Miigwetch!

__________________
I never claim to be the best nDn, just the best nDn I know how to be.

sookout sh'nob

Boozhoo Niij.
Our traditional dances aren't typically done at powwow, but instead are done at other traditional gatherings. You'll need to ask around and see if they have the traditional dances in your area - they're typically a seasonal thing. Bring your tobacco with when you go around asking. At powwow, your dance steps are your own. Don't sweat how it looks. It is what it is.

You should be able to find many examples of traditional OJibwe men's regalia - especially trade era regalia - in web archives. If you're having trouble, pm me and I can send you a bunch of my favorites. To get you on your way, think floral patterns, slacks, button up shirts, black velvet, and start forgetting about fringe. That's my favorite look, from right after the civil war and through the first half of the 20th century. Eagle Feathers on head wear seem to have been more popular than bustles as well. Good stuff Maynard!

Kiwehnzii

I dance mens traditional. Yeah, I have a bustle. But........ I prefer not wearing it. I have Ojibwe style floral patterns (sorry dude - I like fringe) . Sometimes I wear leggings with fringe and sometimes I wear pants with tabs on the side. I wear either an otter turban or a roach. Depends on how I feel.

I dance telling a story. That's what you're supposed to do. This is why the men dance. They tell a story of what they have done, what has happened in the past or what will happen as they go off to battle. Do your thing. Don't let anyone discourage you.

Yeah, I contest. It's cool. If you place, it's recognition that someone appreciates your style. Some folks don't like it, but that's okay. To each, their own.

I go to Schemitzun. I've won there in the eastern war category as well as the men's traditional. When I dance eastern war category, I wear the Ojib style what shinob describes.The people in the east coast actually believe that war dance belongs to them. Not even. The war dance is done by almost every nation across this land. Men returning from or going into battle have always done this. A successful hunt always has a good story to tell.
Running/dancing and waving a club around wildly is not telling a story. Dancers should show actions of what has happened. Not just clubbing the s**t outta everybody.

I hope this helps. Do it man. Have fun with it.

Waabi-binesi

Miigwetch!
I have looked around the web for examples of traditional dance regalia and found very little, most in black and white. Because I am living presently with Plains Ojibway and Lakota/Dakota people, the powwows are more plains style. I want to dance. I have known since I went out for my first inter-tribal that I had to dance. I just wanted to represent my people, the place where I come from, instead of dress up in someone else's regalia and do them a dis-service.

I would appreciate any links or direction to where I could see some examples as I have a friend who makes beautiful clothing, jingle dresses, and dance regalia. She is also very gifted with beadwork and I know she would make anything I asked if I gave her good pictures to work from. I am getting married at the end of this month, in a traditional ceremony, and my wife to be and I have both decided we want to dance next year as we are always on the powwow trail, camping at the grounds, enjoying the company of wonderful people and I would love to go back next year and join the dancers. I have some elders who will help me with my initiation and all I need now is my regalia. I know when I feel the beat of the drum that I am meant to dance and tell my story, just as was mentioned in this thread, and I want to do so with respect, dignity, and honour.

Again, miigwetch for your assistance and who knows, perhaps we will meet in the circle one day!

__________________
I never claim to be the best nDn, just the best nDn I know how to be.

between2worlds

I can tell you a bit about 'shinob regalia, the proper ways that some of the things are done in the way I was taught. I even have some pix.... I'll be back tomorrow evening (on my way to bed right now... 3:30am wake up comes darn early in the o'dark hundred) with a URL of pix and the little bit I know about.

between2worlds

Well, thanks to Verizon mucking about with my DSL (as well as wanting to organize things into more than just a heap of pictures) this promised post was somewhat delayed.

The link here is just -some- of what I have.

http://patrick.moonwolf.net/104.0.html

Two of the very best sites for pictures are down - they tend to be down from late spring to early fall, so I'll probably be adding to this section of the website from time to time. (I'll also be adding stuff I've written about gathering and preserving food, what I was taught as far as the use of medicinal plants and so forth).

If anyone has something they would like to add, feel free to PM me and we'll work on getting it posted.

Waabi-binesi

I cannot express in mere words my gratitude to all of you who have come to help me.
The beautiful photographs that have been both emailed to me and shown to me via links such as between2worlds have given me an excellent place to start from. I have had some dreams of my own where I saw myself dressed in a particular way and colours, so I am now well equipped to begin putting all these things together. I promise that when it is all finished that I will post a picture so you can all see what you had a big hand in help create.
Miigwetch!

__________________
I never claim to be the best nDn, just the best nDn I know how to be.

Waabi-binesi

Being new here, I'm not sure how some things work, so I'll say this here because I don't know where else to say it. To the brave anonymous poster who sent me the message via the "add to reputation" feature stating: "You are not full blooded anything, Sorry to burst your bubble" I say this:

I'm sorry that someone or a whole bunch of someones have made you so insecure about your blood that you feel it necessarry to attack mine in a thread that is completely inoffensive, non-political, or accusational. Whatever it is that I have done to offend you, so much so that you felt you had to disrespect me, I'm deeply sorry.
In regards to your assessment of my bloodline, I know exactly and in great detail where I come from, right back to the days before our treaty was signed. Does that make me better than you or anyone else? Of course not. I think my signature explains my feelings on that rather well. Perhaps you've been so beaten up by this Eurocentric society, a feeling I know quite well, that you feel that you must prove yourself everywhere you go. That's not always a bad quality, but when it's done in anonymity, from the shadows, from a hiding place, it's neither honourable or brave.

If you want someone to talk to or if you need someone to just listen, I offer my ear. If you just want to fight over such meaningless things, I would gladly debate you in an open forum where you can reveal yourself and explain your reasoning. If you just want to hate, well, I guess I'll just pray for you and hope you find the things you need to make you at peace and give you happiness.

__________________
I never claim to be the best nDn, just the best nDn I know how to be.

Kiwehnzii

Many people south of the imposed Canada/US border can't fathom that there are many, many full- Anishinaabe people in this continent. I'm not saying that there aren't in the US because there are. In the US, chances are greater that mixing is more common. 300 million people. In Canada,(approx. 25 million people) many of our people are still in remote areas. Not much contact with non-Indians other than small communities that are still kinda redneck. Saugeen First Nation, Ontario? Yes, I know quite few full-bloods on that rez..

Having traced my family back to the early 1700's, I can safely say that I am full-blood. Unless, some French guy got in there somewhere prior to that. Aye.

Anyways, make that outfit and dance.

Rolling Thunder

I would suggest traveling to pow-wows in the woodlands. Try michigan, minnesota, wisconsin, ontario, maybe even quebec. There's a lot of fine Anishinaabe Jiingtamoks in these parts, that aren't so "Plainsy" (not that that's bad or anything.) Look for smaller communities too, they generally have a more close knit ceremony, and it's not so "touristy."
-Miigwetch!

middle of the sky

i think your endeavor is very kewl waabi-binesi and i hope you get to dance real soon...id also like to see kiwenzi dance someday...makes me proud to be anishinabe..i think im full blooded... i have a geneology thing going back to chief peguis of the saulteaux... which i should work on some more eh

miisko

I remembered this thread and came across this link while looking at beaded leggings for my ol' lady
http://www.bilkent.edu.tr/~jast/Numb...erholtzer.html