whut do i do?

[MishkomekinaakIkwe]

hummmm..... by observation this morning.... I see there is lots of differences among you woman about jingle dresses. Currently I'm 6 mos pregnant and trying to sit still through this powwow season! I have been a fancy shawl dancer since I was 9 years old and have a love affair with shawl dancing! But reciently (this past fall and spring) I was introduced to the Big Drum Ceremony down in Mille Lacs.... Woah! And the songs (ikwenagomnan) have my heart racing.... but at powwow's fancy shawl dancers don't get side-steps. We just get the fast! Sooooooo.... slowly over time... I've decided I want to go jingle..... so wheres the opposition? You ladies are discussing dreams and permission and lots of prep before you can dance jingle...... just need some advice... or can I just start my design and jingle away or are there other things I need to do first?

[lakotajingledancer]

this is what i did

i waited 4 1 year be4 i started dancin jingle,but throughout that yr.i got my design the way i wanted it & made sure that i understood the dance & its origin so that i wouldnt offend any 1.i did fancy shawl for a time also so i know what u mean.
dont let any 1 stop u from doing jingle if u feel thats what u want to do & it feels right in your heart.good lick:D

[hidatsawmn26]

well i waited until i got my colors in and got permission to dance jingle...so i think you should wait until then besides speaking from a former fancy shawl dancer fancy shawl is awsome and sometimes i miss it..you'll know when your ready but your heart is in the right place too...just watch and learn from other jingle dancers while your waiting for certain procedures to go through.-becca

[n8tivechick]

ok here is my advise...
First you need to deside on some things. Like whether you are going to be a competition jingler or a tradishional one. IF you deside to go traditional then yes you shuld have a dream or preminition on what your dress would look like. If you are competeing then i would say go ahead and make a design of what you want.

Next, think about if you are going to do the traditional steps. IF you are a traditional jingler then you should do the traditional steps. But if you are a competition jingler then you can choose between traditional or contemporary. Since you are a shawler then i would think that you would be a contemporary stepper.

Now that you know what you want as a design as an elder or another jingler that you know for some guidance... there are alot of "tricks of the trades" when it comes to making a dress. Trust me i am making my third one and it still isnt perfect.

Lastly. Get all your materials like fabric, BIAS TAPE (not ribbon) for hagging the jingles, jingles, a pattern and whatever else you want to decorate your dress....

Oh, and one more thing, make sure that you have a great time making your dress. Cause no matter how you look at it a jingle dress is still a medicine dress no matter what style you are. So keep only the good vibes with it.

Ok, that is ust my .02 cents. Please feel free to PM me for more in depth questions. i would love to help!

~Kelli

[MishkomekinaakIkwe]

Hmmm.... sounds like I have a lot to decide.... I don't like competition..... I've been to 2 comp. pw's and I don't care much for them. No fun, NO DANCING!, and the people are kinda mean to one another.....! Even to those who aren't dancing! Granted there are a LOT of beautiful dresses there.. but thats what they were made for! My auntie would be helping me make my outfit~she does beautiful outfits! So really what everyone here is saying..... if you want to dance tradish.... you gots to have a dream! (not daydreams!) or permission from your elders..... I can't say I'm not throughly disappointed, because I am! But yous are probably right..... and medicine isn't something I'm willing to tamper with! So I think I'll take the advise of all of yous and sit on it for a while..... I just think all the jingle girls get the best songs! I love to round dance more than anything but you never see us fancy shawls girls getting good rounddance songs and usually the MC makes it known that only jingle dress dancers get to dance em songs.... so I always get stuck sitting out on my azz! Thank you all for your input and expertise.... IF I ever get my dream to dance jingle I will be sure to post it everywhere!

Miigwich miinawaa Gigawabamin Naagaj,
MishkomekinaakIkwe

[~+~Heya~+~]

Aniin Niij! Well from one from shinob to another....ya gotta do whats in your heart. The way I was brought into jingle was first asking an elder (my great g-ma) if I could. Then I had a dress made and when I was at the powwow where I would be wearing it for the first time I had an elder bless it for me. I never had a dream about any of my dresses untill just recently....I was always told that you don't have to dream about it in order to be it...just that when you have a dream about yourself in a outfit your supposed to make that outfit.

I hope ya had fun at Big Drum...I always do!

[Jibbyâ„¢]

Boozhoo!! Well as Heya said, from one Shnob to another, I would have to tell you to wait. I dance Fancy (old style) so I tend not to kick and spin too much. I concentrate more on my footwork. It's not becasue I can't kick/spin but something compells me to stay closer to Akii. I think that might be the Jingle dancer in me, but am still waiting for the right time to start my dress. I am not sure when that time is going to be, but will wait patiently until then. Hope that helps!

[ojibway_jingle]

you know when to start dancing jingledress

Boozhoo Niijii Ikwewak and fellow Jingle Dress Dancers,
Regarding "when to dance jingle", I would have to say this. One knows in their hearts and spirit when to start to dance jingle dress. Our Ojibway elder dancers are there to talk with. Present one with semma and ask about the dress. Tell her of your dreams and how you feel in your heart. Spirits let us know when we are do dance. My elder Ogitchida Ikwe taught me a lot about the dress. I had to do a one day fast and then feast my dress. It also needed to be hung outside for a day, some do the four day thing, then she blessed my dress with sage and prayed. Then I was ready :)