Type of Document	Thesis
Author	Belle, Nicholas Ivan
Author's Email Address	nibvu99@juno.com
URN	etd-04122004-164425
Title	Dancing Towards Pan-Indianism: The Development of the Grass Dance and Northern Traditional Dance in Native American Culture
Degree	Master of Arts
Department	Anthropology, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title J. Kathryn Josserand Committee Chair
Keywords	Native American Powwow
Date of Defense	2004-03-31
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract ABSTRACT Many of the dance styles found at modern Native American powwows have their roots within the Warrior Society dances that existed hundreds of years ago. Over time, the dance styles have changed and evolved. Dances have been shared between distinct ethnic groups as Native American tribes have adopted a more intertribal or pan-Indian identity. By comparing elements of the dance styles, including dance steps and accompanying songs, and more specifically, the outfits and materials used in the construction of the outfits, it is possible to track the intertribal movement of a dance style. An example of this process of change is seen in the Grass Dance, as it spread from tribe to tribe, beginning on the American Plains and moving outward. This thesis will examine the history of the dance outfits associated with the Men’s Northern Traditional Dance and the Grass Dance. Both of these modern styles of dances derive from the same original Warrior Society dance, the Pawnee Iruska Society dance. During the Reservation Period, tribes began to share dances, and as the dances passed from group to group, their meanings were reinterpreted. These changes are reflected in the evolution of the dance outfits. The pan-Indian movement today is best represented by the contemporary Native American powwow, where the shared history of the dances links previously distinct tribal groups in an emerging pan-Indian ethnicity.
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