I have A question about cloth dancing

[BlueDove]

HI all Im new to this I have a question here about cloth dancing.Is Cloth dancing the outfits you wear and you dance traditional please can someone help me I have decided to wear cloth regailia not the buckskin for when I finally do the traditional dancing this is all in the first stages I havent even figured out what nation to affliate my style with as I from two nations Lakota Souix and Cherokee if someone could give me advice I would really appreciate it sincerly
peace be with you all and thanks

[Wojapi4Me]

I just saw some of your photos in the gallery, and no offense to you, but it looks like you're going to some pretty yahoo pow wows. Try to check out some others - may have to leave Pennsylvania to do that.

Since you're Cherokee and Lakota - there are definitely two ways you could go with this. Cherokee women traditionally wore tear dresses, but these aren't worn all that much at pow wows except by young ladies representing the Eastern Band of Cherokees or the Cherokee Nation as royalty. Other than that, most Cherokee women who pow wow would wear an Oklahoma style southern dress.

Lakota cloth dresses are most often blue tradecloth (sometimes red) and can be decorated with cowrie shells, pennies, nickles, or dentalium. Elk teeth were also used, but do your research on this so your dress doesn't come out looking Crow. Nothing wrong with Crows, beautiful dresses, but if you're Sioux you want it to reflect that.

The main advice I can give is take your time and make something real rather than going quickly and making something that will get you odd looks. Look through the galleries here and get a good idea of what these dresses look like.

Oh, and hit some better pow wows. LOL

[WocusWoman]

Ditto, on going to better powwows!

[BlueDove]

Thank You for your help

Thank you for your help this was the first pow wow I have been too I know it deosnt quite compare to what Ive seen on here but to the pow wows credit I went to it touched my family and I quite a bit. My grandmothers had a wish that I know my heritage and this pow wow was a starting of that next year we plann to go to the big pow wow down in Cherokee NC there I hope to see and learn alot more. they didnt even call it a pow wow they called it a native american festival but to their credit they have good honest hearts and from what I have learned isnt that the most important thing whats in your heart? I will take your advice tho and plann to attend more pow wows but if I know my heritage that I have native blood if only a little and my skin is white am I wrong to want to give my children their heritage?Will I be looked at in the same way dressed in native regailia? I just have so many questions again thanks so much I know I have native blood just not sure how much but my skin is white and my eyes blue but I know that I am at least partly native and not a wanna be peace be with you all
BlueDove and again many many thanks

[Wojapi4Me]

Since you're Cherokee and Sioux, your best bet is to get in touch with family members in NC, OK, or SD.

After that, just attend as many GOOD pow wows as you can and ask a lot of questions here before you even start sewing. That will save you a lot of wasted effort. Good luck and happy dancing.

[chinookfrontier]

Bags of Dentalium

Hi, My wife made a great looking Dentalium & leather cape. She used over 5000 dentalium on her cape. We have found many dancers now adorning themselves with more dentalium. This is not tribe specific, as the history of "Tusk Money" on the west coast is well known & was traded. If you are looking for Dentalium she carries bags of 1000, which are 1 1/2 - 2 inchs average for $65.00 bag. this is a smooth type which are mostly cliped & cleaned already.

[NCheyGirl21]

Do your research. I'm both Cherokee and Northern Cheyenne. I dance the southern style. You can get alot of questions answered on here with sewing and beadwork. I would also seek advice from your family. They can also help.