28 Virtual Field Trip: Indigenous Dances of North and South America
Virtual Field Trip: Indigenous Dances of North and South America
Music and dance have always been essential to the spiritual, cultural, and social lives of Native peoples. Unique forms of ritual, ceremonial, and social dancing remain a vital part of contemporary community life. Everywhere dance is found, it is accompanied by distinctive Native musical styles. Rich music and dance traditions create strong ties that bind American Indian communities to all living things, to the earth, spirit world, and—when people have deep ancestral claims to their dances—to the past. (National Museum of the American Indian: Circle of Dance) 
Your Field Guide
Start Here
Use the suggested websites below to get a broad view of your desitnation, or select another scholarly resource to get started:
- Website: Smithsonian, National Museum of the American Indian: Circle of Dance
Circle of Dance presents Native dance as a vibrant, meaningful, and diverse form of cultural expression. Featuring ten social and ceremonial dances from throughout the Americas, the exhibition illuminates the significance of each dance and highlights the unique characteristics of its movements and music. - Article: An Evolving Ritual, Smithsonian,
The National Powwow showcases a mixture of tradition and competition.
Pow Wow
- Website: Powwows.com
Online community for Native American Tribes, Native American History, Pow Wows,Native American Culture, Native American Music and Native American Art.Pow Wows are the Native American people’s way of meeting together, to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships, and making new ones. This is a time method to renew Native American culture and preserve the rich heritage of American Indians. - Video: Community Members Tell Why We Dance
- Video: Oglala Lakota Nation Powwow, National Geographic
- Video: Making Regalia
It’s the premier edition of Making Regalia with your host, Juaquin Lonelodge. Juaquin is a former national Men’s Fancy Dance champion and master regalia craftsman. Join him as he takes you step by step through the processes of Making Regalia! - Article: Nelly Furtado’s “Big Hoops” Video: Native Dancers Represent!
