Editor’s Note: This story is part of ICT’s new powwow guide set to release summer 2023. Include your powwow or a powwow near you by filling out this form.
Sandra Hale Schulman
Special to ICT
The power of the Jingle Dress Dance with its bright colors and joyful sounds of jingles parades through “Why We Dance,” the forthcoming children’s book by Saddle Lake Cree author Deidre Havrelock and illustrator Aly McKnight, Shoshone-Bannock.
The book, which is due out in the fall of 2023, is an exuberant story about history, joy and the healing power of the dance through such preparations as checking the regalia, getting dressed, braiding hair, packing lunches for long days and practicing the steps.
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Havrelock said she learned along the way as she was writing.
“I was praying all through the journey of writing this book,” Havrelock told ICT recently. “I was praying for understanding, praying for direction, praying to meet the right people, praying to get the words right. What I learned and what I hope others take away from this book is that the jingle dress has a history traceable to a specific region and people. It’s important to honor not only that history but also the people who today continue to hold that history as Knowledge Keepers.”
She also learned it meant something deeper.
“I also learned that our traditional dancing truly is prayer,” she said. “I had many questions about prayer during the writing of this book, and I was using a lot of words to convey my thoughts to Creator like, ‘What should I specifically be praying for when I dance?’ Or, ‘What words should I use?’
“And then, in a dream, I heard this from Creator: “The dance is the prayer,’ and I fully understand the language.”
Havrelock said that was the push she needed.
“That shut me up and brought me into alignment,” she said. “ And so, what I really would like readers, especially non-Indigenous readers, to take away from this book, is that prayer takes many forms. And Native American traditional dance is a legitimate and beautiful expression of prayer. More dance, less words.”
The book is being published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, which specializes in picture books and illustrated nonfiction for preschool through middle-grade readers. It is one of several books Havrelock is writing that are set to be published in the next 18 months.
Other upcoming books from Havrelock include the picture books, “Buffalo: The Enduring Story of Buffalo and the First Peoples of North America,” from Holiday House this summer, and “The Heartbeat Drum,” from Abrams in the fall of 2024.
She is also writing a nonfiction book for middle-grade students about Indigenous ingenuity, co-authored with Edward Kay, that is expected to be released this spring from Little, Brown and Company. She has also previously written several books about faith.
Power of dance
The Jingle Dress Dance has a fascinating history told in various ways in the U.S. and Canada about a dream an elder had to heal a sick child in the early 1900s.
The dream said to make a dress with rattling jingles for healing. The jingles are typically rolled tin-can lids, often stamped with the can company’s name, that Indigenous people began using in the early days of trading.
The book centers on a young Indigenous girl who gets butterflies in her stomach when she thinks about performing the dance in front of her whole community. But when the drum group starts in, her family calms her nerves and reminds her of all the reasons why she dances.
Havrelock said she began thinking about jingle dress dances during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“I was, obviously, at home a lot, and at the time I was on the computer for long hours working on a project” she told ICT. “Whenever I took breaks, I turned to the internet to watch the jingle dress dancers who were dancing for healing from the COVID-19 virus. The dancing was beautiful and genuine. Watching the dancers, especially the children, sparked a few things in me.”
She remembered that as a child she had wanted to learn to dance at a powwow but was afraid to ask, and she realized she had been deeply moved by the pandemic.
“I knew I was witnessing a significant historic event that I felt was important,” she said. “I felt pulled toward this dance because of the spirituality of the dance as prayer, and I wanted to learn more.”
The idea for the book came later.
“At first, I wasn’t thinking about writing a book,” she said. “I just wanted to learn about the dance’s history and I wanted to learn more about dancing as prayer. So, I started asking questions, started doing some research, and I started praying for understanding. Eventually, when an editor asked me what subject I’d like to work on in the way of a picture book, I naturally said, ‘jingle dress dancing.’”
Havrelock grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where she said she had a ghost in her house and a feisty, feminist grandmother.
As a child she wished for a buffalo for a pet, so her debut picture book, “Buffalo Wild!” from Annick Press in 2021 was about that wish.
She now lives in Lethbridge, Alberta, about 300 miles from Edmonton.
Inspiring others
Havrelock was familiar with illustrator McKnight’s work and said she was delighted when Abrams suggested she be used to illustrate the jingle dance book.
“My daughter, Darby Havrelock, is an artist and one of her favorite artists on Instagram is Aly McKnight so I was aware of Aly’s gorgeous water colors – we love her buffalo art,” she said.
“When my editor at Abrams Books told me they were going to see if Aly could collaborate on this project, I was over the moon. My favorite part about picture books is the artwork and getting the chance to work with someone as talented as Aly is an absolute honor.”
McKnight is a self-taught watercolor artist and illustrator who creates art with vibrant colors and Indigenous stories. She grew up in a small farming community in northern Nevada.
McKnight says on her website that she is inspired by her own personal experiences, her family, friends, and her Indigenous community. Her hope is that her artwork gives women and youth a feeling of connection that makes them feel seen and powerful.
McKnight, who now lives in Utah with her husband Brockton, of Hawaiian/Samoan descent, their daughter and their Pomeranian dog, said she has “a passion for art in all of its forms,” creating works with layers of watercolor pigments with graphite.
“I hope that through my artwork I can share my story and an Indigenous perspective with the world,” she said on the website. “It is a dream of mine to someday pass on my artistic and cultural knowledge to our younger generations so that they have the tools to call attention to the importance of our histories and our ongoing journey.
“I encourage our Indigenous peoples to take inspiration from the world around them and use art, whatever form that may be, to express themselves and find their own stories to share with the world.”
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