After a procession of the Blackfeet Tribal dancers at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) last month, short dances were performed by small groups of women and men.
This was a jingle dance. Those bright little cylinders on the dresses are metal pieces that rhythmically sounds as the dancers move. A group of drummers sang and beat rhythms on a large drum to accompany each dance.
The beautiful regalia flowed and enhanced each of the different dances, as all the while the drummers and singers kept time.
The dances were short and energetic. This one was a dance typically done in an area before a pow wow where men would dance through fields to flatten and prepare grasses for other activities. I wish I’d taken notes about all the dances.
We hadn’t expected to see a performance like this when we went to the NMAI. We felt privileged to see it.
