Regalia ???

[christinabevins]

Hello my name is christina and when I was younger I danced a little at powwows but we were to poor to get me a regalia. It has been my drem ever sence then to dance at the powwows I am now grown and married with three boys ages 2,4 and 8 I want them to dance at the pow wows to. But Im not sure were to start and were to get theres and mine regalia, or how to make them. I feel that I owe it to myself and my family to get closer to our heratige. So any information and help would be greatly appreated thank you so much

[Ron S]

CB,
There are a couple of things to consider when responding to your request. When you say that you want to get closer to your heritage, do you mean more informed and involved with your tribe's customs, teachings, etc.? If so, the only way to do this properly is through your tribal leaders.

If dancing at powwows satisfies your needs, then the best advise I have for you is to start attending powwows. Find one that you really like and offer to volunteer your time to help put it on. Once everyone becomes familiar with you and your family, they will be more likely to invest time helping you get your regalia together. Otherwise, find a style of dance that you like and research the heck out of it. You can get excellant books and videos from writtenheritage.com. There are a lot of online how-to pages at sites such as nativetech.org and crazycrow.com. You should also start collecting craft supply catalogs so you'll know what is available and where to get it.

Hope this helps.
Ron

[Lakota Wiyan]

What tribe are you from? I would start looking into what your tribal history is, concerning dancing and regalia. The worst thing I have seen lately is people just grabbing whatever they can and throwing it on to dance. What we wear is just as important as how and why we dance. When I and my oldest son (7y/o) are asked about our regalia, we are able to tell exactly why we wear what we wear. It's kind of shameful not to know what you have, especially if you make it yourself. It shows disrespect for yourself and your tribe.
It's way better to learn why and how before you start doing. That way you are doing it for the right reason and you can actually experience the pride and joy that most dancers do at powwows. Good for you, though, in making the decision to teach your children how more about their heritage. It will give them a good start in life!

[Eagle Plumes]

same here

research and pray get some feed back from respected people of your tribe ,it could get pretty bad if one is seen wearing things that dont"belong" to them with out a very good reason, and we also can tell people if asked what we are wearing and why it feals really good to hear my little ones explain this that tells me as a mom I just mite be doin something rite!

[RedShield]

Wow...

Can't add much else, these others have given some excellant advise... the only thing I can add is to be true to yourself and where you come from and the people you come from, either make your own or have someone help you out,... steer clear of pre-fab (made in taiwan) Ndn "clothes" and moccasins. Dress true to who you are, not what looks cool on a web-site or a book.

Just my 49cents worth.

Paselo