Finding My Dance

My name is Wakaja haja piiwiga, which means “Beautiful Thunder Woman”. I am from the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin and Sandia Pueblo in New Mexico. These tribes have different languages, cultures, and ceremonies, but both value an important part of my life: dance.
When I was four years old, I came home from school and there was a beautiful orange jingle dress, hand sewn by my mom, hanging on the doorframe. The dress had silver cones that clinked together and made the most beautiful sound when they moved- like rainfall. There are many stories about the jingle dress that have been passed down from generation to generation. My mom explained that it was a healing dress, and every time I danced in it, I’d send blessings to everyone watching. In receiving the jingle dress, I was preparing to be brought into the powwow circle. A powwow is when we gather to honor our culture through song and dance. Dancers, tribal members, and spectators come together to celebrate at the dance arena. The arena is a circle to symbolize unity, where there is no beginning and no end, just infinite connections to the spirit world and to the earth. Drummers line up along the edge and center of the arena, and their drumbeat represents the heartbeat- the source that gives the dancers energy.