Hop, hop, look right, look left—the students moved like robins in a circle around Increase Miller Elementary’s stage, following a mom and her two daughters dressed in bright clothing, with vibrant patterns and feathers, and beaded moccasins.
“This dance asks the robins to come back– they are the first sign of spring,” said Devon Matias, another one of the Native American visitors.
The guests were part of the Redhawk Native American Arts Council. The visit was organized by Increase Miller Elementary’s PTO to learn and honor Native American Heritage Month.
It was exciting for students to see Kiya, age 11, and Makia, age 6, perform traditional dances of various Native American tribes. The elk teeth sewed onto Kiya’s dress and the shells jingling on Makia’s were part of the stories the dances told.
The girls' mom, Katy Isennock, pointed out details that helped tell the story.
“There are over sixty elk teeth sewed onto the dress,” she said. “That is how the Lakota people show their wealth. The shells are from the ocean; we are a nomadic tribe and use materials from across the US.”
Isennock highlighted the diversity of Native American tribes for the students.
“There are 600 federally recognized tribes in America,” she said to students. “Visiting each one is like visiting a different country.”
“Devon is from an East Coast tribe. My tribe is West Coast,” she said. “Their language, foods, dress and customs are totally different.”
After performances including the Smoke Dance, Healing Dance and Shawl Dance, there was time for a Q & A. Students asked about age of the dances and the words in the music. Matias used a question about the clothes he was wearing to underscore what all people had in common.
“A lot of people think that we dress like this all of the time,” he said. “We don’t. I am a boxer, an actor and a model. Katy does beadwork that she sells online.”
“Our backgrounds and hobbies may be different but we’re all pretty much the same as you and your families.”