Students can go to an enrichment activity twice a month during advisory and have to maintain good grades to qualify for the enrichment. In the past we've had K9 officers, some people from the Orchestra of Southern Utah, the CHS theater group and others. Any students with Native American heritage were invited to attend this enrichment activity on January 22nd. Mahala and Everson came and talk about what the stories behind the Paiute dances and their meanings. The two students who introduced them were Paiute Tribal members. The other two dancers were there to support them and to give the students a greater variety of dance styles to observe. Here is their description of the first dance, "The Jingle Dress Dance originates from the Ojibwe Tribe. The story tells of a young girl who was very sick. Her grandfather prayed to the Creator for a solution and received a vision of the jingle dress. He asked his wife to make the dress, and they brought the young girl to a drum ceremony. The first time, she was carried around the circle; the second time, she was able to walk with assistance; the third time, she walked on her own; and the fourth time, she began to dance. This dance represents healing.”
At the end they had us play a potato game where you had to dance with a potato between you and your partner's forehead and the last potato to fall wins. Here is their description of the second dance, ”The Potato Dance is a social dance meant for fun and inclusivity, allowing all who wish to participate to move to the beat of the drum. As the competition heats up, participants get creative in keeping the potato balanced—sometimes shifting it to an eye socket or even positioning their partner backward while maintaining their connection to prevent the potato from falling.”
We appreciate the Paiute representatives that came to share their traditional dances with our students.
Written by Joyceanna G. -7th grade
Edited by Mrs. Neumann
