Grass Dance Antennas

[WhoMe]

I'm wantin' to do things right.

I want to know why I am wearing something before I put it on.

I have been trying to find out why some grass dancers wear the antennas.

I saw some real old photos and none of the grass dancers had antennas.

Nobody seems to know the answer.

Is this a new thing that happened in century before this one?

All right grass dancers, can someone help me out?

[billyjoejimbob]

just emulates waving grass. nothing spiritual about it. i had them, gave them away to a newbie. i keep my 2 roach feathers for all my outfits.

anyone else?

[Steve StopsOnTime]

Speaking of legend's..

Let's hear the famous, "Waving grass," myth of where the grass dance came from??

By the way, where did those old school dudes get them springs to make "antenna," out of??

[WhoMe]

Steve: another legend

There was this old travlin' circus going through the middle of Nebraska about 1820 or so. The reason they were lost is they turned left instead of right at St. Louis.
In this circus they had a monkey who would collect money while being chained to a music box. While they were camped near the O-Mah-ho Indians, the music box accidently got smashed by wagon wheel, thus freeing the monkey.
The monkey grabbed two springs from the music box and headed toward Freedumb (that's near 'Liberty', MO). On his journey, some little O-Mah-Ho boyz saw the monkey and scared him. So he dropped the springs.
The little boyz grabbed the springs and took them back to their camp and gave them to a grass dancer that happened to be standing there doin' nothin. He asked the boyz where they got the springs. The boyz told him, from a "Strange Animal" who had a face like a little boy and a tail like a cow.

The grass dancer gave a loud war hoop and said .....

"Oh you got them from a ........... COWBOY!~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WhoMe]

Now, back to my original question.

Does anybody have any information about the antennas some grass dancers wear???????

[Kiwehnzii]

Re: Speaking of legend's..

Originally posted by Steve StopsOnTime

By the way, where did those old school dudes get them springs to make "antenna," out of??

Guitar strings.

[scottlollar]

I've heard of guitar strings, or piano wire. But, the ones I've seen up close were bigger than that. Like a spring you can buy from a hardware store - maybe 1/4" wide, but probably closer to 1/8" or 3/16" wide(I never measured them before, so I'm not positive.
I watched a video last night from the early 80's - a Native American Dance Theater show. They had a long bit about grass dance. Two of the grass dancers had two Eagle Feathers, the other two had 'antenna'. I don't know of any significance to it, other than it is a way to get some extra swaying motion in the outfit, though.

Scott

[Tx_grass_dancer]

Piano wire or a car choke cable are things I've heard of using. Sorry I don't know the story or history behind it. I read they were real popular around the 60's (I think) But slowly they've died off you just don't see them much anymore. OHH just remembered I heard this story. Mind you I don't know if it's true so correct me if I'm wrong. That the antenna are remanicant of the roach feathers that were used that all but the top of the feather was shaved off. Also don't remember where I heard that one.

[post182eastern-trad]

i was told that it just had to do with the waving of the grass

also i used bass strings instead of guitar they work better and r more stable


mike

[dancingraccoon59]

Korean War

Somebody told me once that during the Korean war some people thought it was unpatriotic to use a lot of feathers on an outfit because our boys overseas needed the feathers for down in blankets and stuff. That didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to me.

Somebody also told me that they came about because they reflect the style well and look good when you dance, thus they get attention in competition.

Somebody also told me one time that I was kind of attractive, so we can be sure that some people are full of crap.

[billyjoejimbob]

I once hear a boy scout say grass dancers made sure all the bugs would leave the arbor so they didnt get squished.

I had spiral notebook springs, guitar strings, bass strings, choke cable, and settled on screen door springs stretched out.

Coon-I dont know, I've seen you straight dance and my girlfrined was checking you out. ;)

[scottlollar]

Originally posted by billyjoejimbob
I once hear a boy scout say grass dancers made sure all the bugs would leave the arbor so they didnt get squished.

Some kind of combination of Grass Dance and Buddhism? Never heard of that before, but it's funny! If that's the case, the Grass Dancers didn't do a good job this past weekend. I got bit by all kinds of ants, and so did my entire family. My feet and legs ITCH! grumblegrumble grass dancers not doing their jobs grumblegrumble.... LOL
;)

Scott

[billyjoejimbob]

That same scout did a fancy dance example wearing his doc martin shoes. and the kicker was that he said an indian elder gave him an eagle feather and named him "sungmanitu tanka obwaci" (sp?)

i almost shytted myself.:Chatter

[Wakalapi]

ONE story I've heard says the grass dance celebrates warriors who held handfuls of prairie grass above their heads to camouflage themselves. One grass song describes the warriors as "all broken up" (obscured from view).

[WhoMe]

Okay,

From what I have read on this thread, there are no clear answers about why grass dancers wear antennas.

So can anybody answer when or where they began?

From the earliest of photo's, Grass dancers wore tufts of grass in their belts and moccasins. They resembled the modern Crow-style dancer in the way they looked.

From what I have researched, the antennas first appeared in the Dakotas about the same time that dancers wore chainette fringe.

Can anybody verify this?