What does each document tell us about American Indian hopes and fears? What general conclusions can we draw that is did Native Americans share a common set of hopes and fears after their contacts with white Americans? Plains tribes during the late 1880’s faced issues of poverty, disease, hunger and fears of losing the Indian culture, their freedom, homes and their lives. The birth of the Ghost Dance in 1889 brought hope to the Indians who were forced to live on reservations and to assume the customs of the white man. The dance brought back customs, rituals and the way of life that the Indian tried so hard to hold on to.
In 1981 Christopher Bruce choreographed a dance called ‘Ghost Dance’ about the human rights of people in Chile and all the terrible and tragic things that were happening at the time. (HYPERLINK "http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/dance7_10/ghostdances/docs/ghost4.pdf"http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/dance7_10/ghostdances/docs/ghost4.pdf 24-08-12) Such as, murders, people being taken away from their families, tortures and many more horrific things. Christopher chose to choreograph the dance, after receiving a letter from a widow Chilean folk singer whose husband had been murdered. He was asked to do a work for the Chilean Human Rights Committee. This inspired Christopher to be more concerned towards the Chilean people; therefore, he constructed this beautiful choreographed piece, to express the horrible past, the suffering of the innocent people.
In order not to be possessed people would dress up in costumes and terrorize their neighborhoods. The villagers in Ireland would also hold a town celebration with food offerings to the saints. These offerings came from farmers who would go door to door begging for food. They would also decorate their homes with skulls, skeletons, and jack-o-lanterns in hopes of warding off evil spirits. The 19th century is when Halloween lost its religious connection and became the community based holiday it is today.
There clothing was made of cloth, some animal skins, and feathers. According to John Kincheloe, the feathers that were worn in the Ghost dance indicated social rank. The Indians uses repetitive movements to emphasize their message. In class we discussed how the “White Man” feared the Ghost dance and felt as if it
We should educate ourselves a little about Mexican Folklore. What I’m more passionate about is dancing. Since I was a little girl I’ve been dancing in all the parties, family reunions, clubs, and about anywhere there is music. I believe rhythm is in my blood. I think everyone as a children has the dream of one day to become someone famous in life.
Shapes + Reflections was held at the Mira Costa Theater from Nov 30- Dec 2. The theater is contemporary and offers great views from all 243 seats. This performance attracted an array of guests, from seniors, adults, teens, and kids, who all seemed to thoroughly enjoy the show. This show was very eclectic and showcased multiples styles of dance. “” was a really fun opening dance, it was full of inspiration and energy and got people interested and hooked to the show.
As an audience member it is easier to see what the dancer or dancers are trying to portray by their choice of music. Slow songs are usually very intimate testimonies from the singer that the dancer feels they can relate to. Fast songs are used to portray a feeling of happiness and joy. Song genre can also tell a story, there are so many to choose from: gospel, contemporary gospel, holy hip-hop and many more. To be able to praise dance you have to be willing to let God speak to you and give you the dance moves because you cannot just stand in front of a congregation and do whatever you feel like.
My favorite move was using up space. I am usually very dramatic while I explain things to people and so I feel like that move describes who I am. I feel that the remedy to becoming a good dancer is to keep on dancing just like you say “just keep on moving when in doubt.” When I dance I feel like I develop stamina and my body gets used to the sudden movements and I just automatically become comfortable with it. In this class we got a sneak peak from a variety of dance genres. I like that you were enthusiastic about learning any dances that we
As the Indians were forced to leave the land white people just came over and took part of the land that belong to the reservation and there was nothing the Indians could do about it. The discovery of gold made matters even worst as Americans came across the land looking for fortune in large numbers and in the process destroyed the land and the ecosystem. Their vast numbers drove away the bison herds and forced them to change their emigration patterns, which made it a lot more difficult for the Indians to sustain themselves. In addition to being forced to move to small reservations they were put on rationed food and supplies from the U.S government and to change their culture all against their will. The reservations were not set on the best land; those were given to white Americans.
According to Kraut, “The elderly who carried in their heads ancient histories, cures and crafts were often wiped out quickly, taking with them generations of a tribe’s collective understanding of the world and itself” (Kraut 17). It made them lose their expertise: hunting and gathering. Few Native Americans who survived the genocidal disaster had to naturally assimilate into the European culture to survive or fight to the death against the white invaders. Besides, their society fell into ruin. Shamans, conjurers, medicine men, or anyone who had claimed special power lost respect and authority because their traditional therapies were not effective in curing the infectious diseases.