The Sunrise Dance Pt. 1
On Saturday night, I attended part of a Sunrise Dance by the Canyon Day rodeo fairgrounds. It is my understanding that quite a few Apache girls on this reservation still have Sunrise ceremonies. Here follows a conversation with two of my eighth-grade girls about the Sunrise Dance:
Me: Do a lot of girls still have Sunrise Dances?
Student 1: You mean at this age or do you mean nowadays?
Me: Nowadays.
Student 1: Yeah, a lot of girls do.
Me: Are there some who don't?
Student 1: Yeah, but most of them do.
Student 2: I'd say it's about half and half.
Student 1: Yeah, half and half.
Me: And the girls who don't, why don't they?
Student 1: Because it's expensive or because of religion.
Me: Did you have one?
Student 1: No.
Student 2: No, I was supposed to, but then I didn't.
Me to Student 1: Why didn't you have one?
Student 1: My grandma.
Me: Your grandma?
Student 1: My mom's side wanted me to have one, but my dad's family didn't. So I went with my dad's family.
Me: What religion is your grandma?
Student 1: Christian. It's usually Christians who have a problem with Sunrise Dances.
My friends and I went when we knew that the Crown Dancers would be dancing. They dance with the girls around a bonfire for several hours. The girls wear 50-lb. buckskin dresses, while the Crown Dancers have their faces covered to protect their identity; they represent the four directions. The medicine man chants and sings while the drummers beat on their drums. It is considered bad luck for a girl to touch the Crown Dancers' outfit, and they would hide their costumes in the hills. If a girl had bad luck, it was said that she'd found and touched the Crown Dancer's costume.
Me: Do a lot of girls still have Sunrise Dances?
Student 1: You mean at this age or do you mean nowadays?
Me: Nowadays.
Student 1: Yeah, a lot of girls do.
Me: Are there some who don't?
Student 1: Yeah, but most of them do.
Student 2: I'd say it's about half and half.
Student 1: Yeah, half and half.
Me: And the girls who don't, why don't they?
Student 1: Because it's expensive or because of religion.
Me: Did you have one?
Student 1: No.
Student 2: No, I was supposed to, but then I didn't.
Me to Student 1: Why didn't you have one?
Student 1: My grandma.
Me: Your grandma?
Student 1: My mom's side wanted me to have one, but my dad's family didn't. So I went with my dad's family.
Me: What religion is your grandma?
Student 1: Christian. It's usually Christians who have a problem with Sunrise Dances.
My friends and I went when we knew that the Crown Dancers would be dancing. They dance with the girls around a bonfire for several hours. The girls wear 50-lb. buckskin dresses, while the Crown Dancers have their faces covered to protect their identity; they represent the four directions. The medicine man chants and sings while the drummers beat on their drums. It is considered bad luck for a girl to touch the Crown Dancers' outfit, and they would hide their costumes in the hills. If a girl had bad luck, it was said that she'd found and touched the Crown Dancer's costume.
posted by Jessica at 3:06 PM
1 Comments:
Wow, that sounds amazing! How old are the girls when they have these dances? We've been to a few quinceaneras out here, which sound similar in their purpose, and it's always awe inspiring how much these families put into them. Such different cultures. Love you, chica!
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