Lakota Jingle Dress at St. Joseph's Indian school. Winona has been a Jingle Dancer since she was a toddler.
“I’ve always loved the Jingle Dress Dance I’ve been doing it ever since I was tiny.” - Winona, a St. Joseph’s Dance Club member

Winona was Junior Miss St. Joseph’s in 2009, and still represents her school with pride on the powwow ground. She’s attended powwows with her family all her life and always loved the unique sound the jingle dress dancers make.
Tonya wearing her Jingle Dance regalia for St. Joseph's Indian School's powwow. Jingle dresses are adorned with numerous metals cones the bent lids of tobacco tins which are the source of their unique sound.
The Jingle Dress Dance came by way of a Holy Man’s vision. He was providing care for a sick girl when a dream came to him.

In his dream, four girls wearing dresses adorned with tiny cones, which made a very distinct sound, danced for the healing of the little girl. Upon awakening, the Holy Man instructed his wife in the making of the dresses and found the girls to dance. The sick girl was healed!

The Jingle Dress Dance has been around for approximately 100 years. The Plains Tribes borrowed the dance from the Chippewa Tribes of the Great Lakes region. This style of dance is very popular among young female dancers. You can hear these dancers coming from a distance as their many metal cones make a unique jingling sound.

 

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