Black Grass Dancers?

[Aaron]

Has anyone seen those two ... like ... sixteen seventeen, something like that...anyway, have you seen those two guys that are grassdancers that are black? I like seen them only twice in the past five years, but has anyone else? And what do you think of that?!

[Nellie]

Hmmm....I'm wondering if you like their style or what? What do we think about what?:dontknow:

[MayChe]

yeah, what exactly about them?

[luvstraightdancrs]

What's the problem? Most of the people on here are mixed with something or other. Most claim that if you have a drop of blood then you are a skin. So what's the big deal??????????

[Kiwehnzii]

Don't be jumping all over Aaron now. He comes from a nortern reserve and in those areas it is uncommon to see mixed blood Indians.
I thought it strange too to see this when I was younger. I live very close to the U.S. border and this happens more in the states than it does here in Canada.
There are less full bloods now than there was 20-30 years ago but we're still hanging in there.

Instead of getting all huffy at Aarons comments, try to understand that there are still Indians in Canada that have never, ever seen a black person. In some rare cases, some have never seen a white person.
These ones are the people that are going to keep our nations strong 50-60 years down the road.

Give them a hand. :clap: :clapping:

[MayChe]

we weren't getting all huffy about what he has said, its just thatwe are trying to figure out what he meant by "And what do you think of that?!"

[Aaron]

Your playing!!

Yeah, I have to agree...it is uncommon to see someone, especially black, to be dancing native style. Really uncommon. At arny rate, I should visit these southern pow wows and see what kind of dancers ya got down there. One thing that is common here is that ya got half breeds and even whites dancing, but I never heard of african american people dancing.
-AND! I was just wondering what ya people thought about that. I think its strange. I never thought that southern people down there its common. Im sorry If I offended anyone...

Go to Native News & Issues-they talk about something similiar to this..."WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHITE PEOPLE WANTING TO BE NDN?"

[homalosa]

Well,
Aaron, I wasn't offended at all and think I understood you. I also now get a feeling of what a friend of mine who is Acoma/Black feels like. She's married to an Assiniboin and they moved back to Canada recently. Before leaving she said it is soooooo different up North. She doesn't even look Black but I asked her if that was why, if people accept her. She said most don't know until they ask but that Canadian reserves are just different from our rezes and worlds away from Urban Indian living. She said often times she's the ONLY Southern dancer at powwows! Anyway being a redblack mixedblood, I've always wanted to visit Canada. I want to see the freedman towns founded by runaway African slaves. I also want to visit Canadian powwows. I heard y'all may not have black folks dancing, but that women grass dance all the time up there. Now that's what I'm talking about!

[Nishnawbe10]

power to the people

nothing wrong with them dancing I am cree native from Canada and i believe everyone should be able to dance no matter what their skin color is.

[dancnRoo]

I'm from Va and there are alot of mixed blackndns around here, and they bother me as long as they are respectful.

[dancnRoo]

Originally posted by dancnRoo
I'm from Va and there are alot of mixed blackndns around here, and they bother me as long as they are respectful.

haha i meant don't bother me...oops

[homalosa]

Well, okay, I was wondering!!!!!!

[dancnRoo]

yea i'm glad i read it after i posted it..... almost messed up good:Chatter

[bushy_braids]

hey good deal Kiwehnzii for explaining that...
my fam is from montana and when i first moved out to the east coast, it was like a culture shock...now that i can understand it and have been around pw's here as compared to them back home...they're a lot different! A LOT! and they do things differently, different people participate, so it was kinda hard to understand seein' as things were soo much different back home.
i've learned to respect the various ways people go about conducting & participating...cause who am i to judge and tell someone that i'm any more ndn then they are...if they know the ways and respect the culture, more power to them...they have to work even harder and sometimes even know different things about our culture...anyways
i'm not tryin' to offend anyone...this is my opion and how i viewed things...i now understand a whole lot more and look @ the world of ndn's w/ open eyes...and each time i go to a pw....i see something done new & differently. surely a pw in mt isn't gonna be the same experience as a pw in any other land and you definitely aren't gonna see the same type of people participating.

[ApacheFancyShawlHawk]

Re: power to the people

Originally posted by Cree_warrior10
nothing wrong with them dancing I am cree native from Canada and i believe everyone should be able to dance no matter what their skin color is.

I'm Apache, I see not a thing wrong with there being a black grass dancer. In fact I know a Family that go to pow-wow & go out & Dance, they are very good & they respect everyone & everything. You need to remember that the Tsa la gi people, all so known as the Cherokee people took anyone & everyone in and called them brother or sister. I'm not mad at you. if you take this as that i am, i'm not!