What are those two pieces of cloth?4 str8 dancer

[Mexica-grass]

Excuse me, but what are those two pieces of cloth on the back of a dancers ribbon shirt? I see some people with them folded into a triangular shape, and the one that I really want to know about, on that is kind of a ball-shape. What are they for? How are they attached. And what is inside(ball-shaped) it?

[Mr Bo Jangles]

Excuse me, but what are those two pieces of cloth on the back of a dancers ribbon shirt? I see some people with them folded into a triangular shape, and the one that I really want to know about, on that is kind of a ball-shape. What are they for? How are they attached. And what is inside(ball-shaped) it?

Yer joking right?

aye! Just kidding.

When someone gets a chance...move this over to the Straight Dance forum....as I don't remember dancing with anything tipi related on my back last time I got dressed out. LOL!!

Naw...seriously though.

They're two scarves, usually attached to the bandoliers. Typically they're around 14 inches square, either folded and left empty and secured with any number of things. Beaded rosettes, metal conchos, or just with safety pins.

If they're ball shaped, then they've got any number of things in them. I put "indian perfume" in mine.....it's a small flowering plant that grows in the Midwest and in other regions of the US. It's commonly called Horsemint, or Bee Balm, Oswego Tea or scientifically it's got several names depending on the variety.

Monarda Citrida, Mondarda Fistrulosa, Monarda Punctata .

They're a perrenial plant, around here in Arizona, they get about a foot or so tall, and have these flowers that come up out of tall stems, then more stem from the center of the flower cluster and then more flower clusters. Typically, the flower is white, pink, red or a deep wine color. The flowers are probably around an inch in diameter or so. They grow on the roadsides in Southern Texas and in parts of Oklahoma. I think it grows in somewhat sandy shallow soils. Check your local plant shops or florists for some.

Others put peyote buttons or small bits of tobacco in theirs.

My understanding is that it's a fumigant, a throw back to the days when perfume was a rarity or didn't exist. You see old photos of men and women wearing HUGE balls of this stuff tied up around their armpits or in that region, I'm guessing to cover up "odors". ....or to just impart a nice smell.

You use the flower portion of it, or the leaves....just remember to break off the woody stems before inserting into your scarves or you'll end up with bit poking you in the fingers.

Just put it in the center, and bring the ends of the scarves up around it and form a small ball in the center, tie if off with some string to secure the stuff inside, and then you can attach it to your bandoliers or your shirt or vest.

Check out this link for what it looks like...this is the American Horsemint variety you might see in places like Texas or in the Midwest.

https://www.home.att.net/~larvalbugbio/horsemint.html

if that don't work. Go to Yahoo.com and enter HORSEMINT into the search engine and see what pops up.

[Mexica-grass]

Thank you