The Jingle Dress originated with the Anishinabe (Ojibwe) people in about 1900. Its name comes from the sound made by the shaking of more than 100 metallic cones that hang from the dress. The origin of the dress is thought to be from a recurring dream that a Midewiwin, or “Grand Medicine Society” man, had. It’s believed that the Jingle Dance has healing powers.
Today’s video features Janelle Auginaush, 17, Leslie Stevens, 16, and Autumn Johnson, 13, students at Bagley High School near the White Earth Reservation. They talk about their dancing and the importance of the powwow in native culture, and discuss their plans for after high school.
To watch Monday’s first video in this series about Native American young people and read more about my visit to the White Earth Nation powwow, go here.
Wednesday: Alex Mason, of Callaway, Minn., a grass dancer and hockey player who will be a senior at Detroit Lakes High School this fall, tells about his dancing, his aspirations, and being a native student in a school off the reservation.
