In this documentary from Twin Cities PBS, Ojibwe stories tell
of the beginnings and the healing powers of the Jingle Dress Dance,
a popular tradition throughout Native communities.
The Mille
Lacs band of Ojibwe produced the video and consulted with a
lot of their members about the jingle dress.
It's long been a desire of Larry "Amik" Smallwood
to tell the story he heard growing up of how the jingle dress came
to be.
"I used to hear my grandma, Lucy Clark, tell the story
of where the jingle dress came from," said Amik. "Back
in '79 when I worked at Nay Ah Shing, Ben Sam and Fred Benjamin,
both now passed on, also told me the story about the jingle dress."
"I've traveled around and heard stories about the
jingle dress and they're all basically the same, but there
are some variations," he said. "I've been wanting
to do a documentary for the past seven years so we could get the
story straight about where the dress originated."
The full documentary is available to stream online. Please visit
http://www.tpt.org/the-jingle-dress-tradition/
to watch!
About
the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
American Indian nations have been recognized as sovereigns
since before the formation of the United States. The Mille Lacs
Band of Ojibwe, a federally recognized Indian tribe, has a rich
history and culture that dates back to a time before Minnesota became
a state. As the Bands democratically elected Chief Executive,
and on behalf of our more than 4,300 member citizens and more than
4,000 employees, I take great pride in presenting the story of our
long and proud history. In the mid-1700s, the ancestors of
todays Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe settled near Lake Mille Lacs
in what is now Central Minnesota and established a way of life that
the Band continues to preserve. The Ojibwe hunted, fished, gathered
wild rice, and taught their children a profound respect for nature.
They endured hardship and poverty in the face of pressures from
the non-Indian culture, but they worked hard and dreamed of a better
future. Melanie Benjamin, Chief Executive
http://millelacsband.com
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