Art

Had the pleasure of attending a Native American gourd dance at Haskell Indian Nations University. The gentleman in these two frames, Art, told me a little about the subtle dance. He says they dance for their ancestors, for the ones who pass down the tradition.. to honor them.

Dancers shoot a maraca-like instrument and he explained that each part of the instrument represented a part of a buffalo or Native Americans. As they danced, they barely lifted their heels off the ground, just slightly raising a foot... keeping pace with a large drum in the center of the dance circle. It was beautiful and I wish I could have stayed around longer.