What I have decided

[Riverwoman]

I figured that you may want to know why I have been asking all of the questions that I have been asking as of late. I have had a hard time, "deciding" what to dance and the like. Kind of like I could not make up my mind, "so to say". If I had caused any "anger" or bad feelings because of that, I humbly ask that you forgive me. I had not intended for it to be like that, lookin like someone runnin around in all different kinds of regalia. Guess I was lookin like a fool there for a bit eh?;) :Angel:

I need to ask your advice, about Northern Traditional dancing. I wish that I had "concured" with what I had been told early on in my powwow career, that I should start dancing Traditional first. Hence I am from the North, and of Cree decent, I have decided to dance Northern Traditional.

Belive me, I have had some good thought about this matter over the past little while, and some soul searching as well.

I need to know, or find out what it all entails to dance Northern Traditonal. Since I am far from home, and NOT in powwow country up here (they are potlatch people) I need to ask all of you out there, and from that I will learn, hopefully:D

1) What kind of dances are there, for this? I know there are some dancers that "dance" around the arena, either swaying or snapping their fringe, and some that "bounce" in place, doing the same thing.

2)Is it "necessary" to have a brestplate? I have been told by a good Cree friend of mine, that is is more of a "southern" thing.

3)What kinds of songs are sung, and how would I learn to recognize them?

I don't ofen have the resources to go to powwows, or buy videos. I need all of the advice that I can get from you good people. Thanks again,

ANgie

[superndngyrl]

I'm southern and I was always told breastplates are a northern thing. hahahah

Maybe they're a Kiowa thing. I don't usually wear a breastplate w/my cloth clothes but i wear one w/my buckskin.

[ogapahndn]

Um.... yeah, breastplates are a Kiowa thing for sure. They traditionally wore the ones that hang in the front and the back.
I'm not sure if you would need a breastplate to dance northern tradish. Hopefully some of the northen women on here will answer your question. You might want to also check the archives, I think there have been some threads similar to this. Good Luck!!

[Caroline]

Some Cree women around here who dance Tradional wear breastplates. They are longer and narrower than the southern one. There is no back to it like the southern ones. If you don't want a breastplate, then a rosetta necklace is what I have seen.

[KC Quapaw]

Myself, I wear either a breastplate, or a squashblossom necklace. I have two breastplates, one is long and hangs in front and back, and the other is shorter and is only in the front. (I dance southern). I too was told breastplates were a more northern thing, but I agree with ogapahndn, check the archives. Or maybe a northern dancer can answer the questions?:)

[apash]

Two or Three buckskins

Make your own buckskin regalia first with either elk teeth, shells or other depending on style that you observed from your people's way of life.
As for song's it is circle dance or war dance songs.
Depends how you were raised in oral traditions and how it carried out by your people.

[Miss_Nish]

I dance Northern Tradish...

It took a while to finish my breastplate so I danced without one. Some women wear one.. some women don't. I prefer dancing with one. It gets kinda heavy... but I love it.

[TradisH~*~QueeniE]

Northern Tradish

well let me see if I can help.....umm first of all.....its not a fact of picking a style and sticking with it...its more like finding YOUR style and sticking with that......Everywhere u go your going to see women dance the same but still slightly diffrent...n everyone has their own style....it may seem to others that they are dancing like "that one girl" but no...they just have the same style of dancing....for me..I dance the way the music makes me feel....they way u feel is the way u dance...if u watch closely your gonna see.....as for the songs....its goot to learn every type of traditional dance there is out there....ie: crow, northern, southern etc.....cuz now-a-days....powwows tend to get a lil tricky n thrw in an old style or a crow style dance..( or what ever)....so basically what Im saying is....dance the style you feel is right for you....and every now n then keep an eye out...Im no pro @ this Im still learning...but we learn something new every day huh..oh and as for breastplates...its really up to your if u wanna wear one or not..for us round here there are meanings for them...so its really up to you....pearsonally I dont wear one...I have drops that hang from my belt and thats just fine with me....now I see a lot of girls with them....so liek I said its up to you
Good Luck with your dancing I hope I have helped you a lil

[Riverwoman]

Originally posted by Backup_Singa
Northern Tradish

well let me see if I can help.....umm first of all.....its not a fact of picking a style and sticking with it...its more like finding YOUR style and sticking with that......Everywhere u go your going to see women dance the same but still slightly diffrent...n everyone has their own style....it may seem to others that they are dancing like "that one girl" but no...they just have the same style of dancing....for me..I dance the way the music makes me feel....they way u feel is the way u dance...if u watch closely your gonna see.....as for the songs....its goot to learn every type of traditional dance there is out there....ie: crow, northern, southern etc.....cuz now-a-days....powwows tend to get a lil tricky n thrw in an old style or a crow style dance..( or what ever)....so basically what Im saying is....dance the style you feel is right for you....and every now n then keep an eye out...Im no pro @ this Im still learning...but we learn something new every day huh..oh and as for breastplates...its really up to your if u wanna wear one or not..for us round here there are meanings for them...so its really up to you....pearsonally I dont wear one...I have drops that hang from my belt and thats just fine with me....now I see a lot of girls with them....so liek I said its up to you
Good Luck with your dancing I hope I have helped you a lil

Yes, you have helped me! Thank you for the good words, and replies! I know what you mean, go with what is in "you" and dance the way you ?"feel" or how the music moves you.:)

[Riverwoman]

Thought that I had better ad something to this thread... wahoo! Finnished the full breastplate a few weeks ago. Made it with more then came with the materials from Crazy Crow, added an extra row of 20 hairpipes on the bottom, and an extra row on each side of 8 ( I hope that you know what breastplate kit that I am talking about) ;) Turns out with the way that I had placed the beads, and I did use the beads and smaller bone hairpipes from the choker set that I bought, it ( breastplate) goes all the way to my ankles Never in my life I thought I would be able to create something like that:D It took quite a while ( over 7 hours) and I used real bone, and glass fire polish beads.


The fan is coming along nicely, I decided to take "off" the smoked moosehide that I had used to cover the handle, and use some white buckskin instead. For some reason, that smoked moosehide did not sit right with me In all, I decided to make a tail fan, instead of a loose fan, and I will have two in total, the tail fan I can "legally" bring over the border, and the Eagle Feather wing fan, I will keep for here in Canada. Each of the the feathers has a small Rhinestone on the tip.

The mink hairties turned out great, just "poked" a few holes where the fake eyes where, and attached a conch heart thru there, and now I have a set of minks with conch hearts to tie to my braids.


Dang! Then I finally figured out how to make "spinner" feathers, just glued a bobby pin to the quill of the small feathers I will wear at the side. Then attached some "spinners" thru the loop of the bobby pin, and that to the silver barrette that "deflects" back into shape ( there are certain kinds that have a small hole on the tip tha work great for that). These smaller feathers also have a Rhinestone on each tip.

That is what I have been up to, just waiting for the dress to come from OK, and then I will be ready, and fully suited for this summer! I have a fashion show on June 20th, and a performance for Aboriginal Day on June 21st. Then there is Canada Day July 1, and the Tanacross AK Gathering from July 23, 27th and most likely the powwow in Kamloops, Chase and Cache Creek:D


Aiyee will be busy this summer, and I would like to thank all of those who gave me support along the way ;)