The Spirit That Dances

Author: Thomas Wakolee

I go by many names.

In Native American culture, many family names were lost due to colonization. I claim the surname “Wakolee” which is recognized by many in our community as a placeholder for “sacrifice last name.” Wakolee = “he walks alone”.

Learning about and upholding my culture has always been very important to me. Growing up in Oklahoma, I recognize that my ancestors were driven here against their will during one of the many “Trail of Tears” as the colonizers began forcing indigenous peoples off of their land. My family is from the Algonquin Nation in the Woodlands in the Northeastern part of the continent, and our traditions and forms of expression are different than those of the Plains Nations who are more native to the land now labeled “Oklahoma.” There are still land disputes going on all throughout the continent, as the United States Government upholds their tradition of disrespecting the independent Native Nations operating their own form of government on reservations. (You can learn more about the destruction of native life from the nonprofit Native Hope who works to raise awareness and help bring justice to indigenous communities.) Growing up on a reservation in Oklahoma allowed me to learn about and uphold our traditions, nurturing my connection to the natural world and learning to express myself through dance. Dancing is a way to express the movement of the spirit through the body and I am known throughout the community for my unique style.

Many indigenous traditions involve forms of dancing for ceremonies and as a way to tell a story. Traditionally, one begins their training as a dancer as a child, but I didn’t start dancing till I was 18. It’s tricky navigating a balance between upholding traditions and finding ways to adapt them in modern times. Especially as the vast majority of indigenous traditions were erased by the colonizers, indigenous communities still seek guidance from elders on how to best interact with the world. Each nation has their own unique style of dancing, so it is not acceptable to some to begin mixing movements from various different regions. However, my unique style of dancing is something completely new. I began by watching other dancers and noticing the subtle differences in the ways the stick is held and the pauses incorporated. I blended them into my own unique style, and as I began to practice more and more, I began to think less and feel more.

My spirit began moving through my body in total freedom with the music and expressed itself through my arms, shoulders, legs, feet and voice. I let my emotions take over and it helps others feel what I am feeling. I travel and attend competitions as another means of generating income, but the style of dance I mainly perform is referred to as “Elo-shkah”, which means “a good-time”. And when I am dancing, I am representing my entire community back home. I’m dancing for people who can't dance or whose bodies don’t have the gift of movement, and I give them that joyful feeling. I’ve had people come up to me and express gratitude for invoking these feelings deep within and inspiring joy and hope.

I’ve been dancing for about five years, and when I dance, I become something else. Dance is so much more than a form of entertainment or exercise in our culture; it is truly an expression of spirit. The regalia worn during the dance is very significant, usually representing unique aspects to a family and serve as another means of communication. This includes the cloth pattern in the shirt, skirt and scarves, as well as the specific colors and accessories which provide great significance to the ancestral story of the wearer. My typical regalia includes styles from the Woodlands, including embroidery and earth-tone colors with pops of color against a dark background. Bells are worn on my legs and feet so that my movement adds to the harmony of the singers and drum beats that surround the dancers.

Dances are performed for a variety of reasons and there are powwow events and competitions that showcase innovative movements and unique regalia. During Covid, some groups continued to dance, summoning the healing powers to help uplift the community during such a devastating time. Personally, I took a break during Covid because it didn’t feel right to participate in such a celebratory activity during a time of massive loss; especially affecting the indigenous populations. In the old ways, everyone takes a break for four days when someone dies. Of course not everyone upholds these traditions today, but I take it very seriously and stayed dedicated towards helping my people during that time.

I am a firm believer in making sure these cultural expressions stand the test of time and believe they should be shared with as wide an audience as possible in order for peoples of different backgrounds to make a connection. That's why I started to dance like this, to build a relationship. Not only with dancers, but spectators in general, because when I go up there, it's like it's a old relationship that’s been in our genetics since the dawn of time. And dancing in general is such a universal language, that I feel each culture uses movement in some way to communicate emotions we all understand as humans. I definitely do not support non-native peoples taking on the cultures of indigenous nations by appropriating our spiritually significant traditions, but I do encourage other cultures to admire and understand and appreciate our expressions as we share with them.

I think a lot of people, especially white people, are not in touch with their own culture or history, and so they try to steal bits from others that they like. The vast majority of people today are so busy looking at their phones and living in the city that they have completely lost touch with the natural environment around them. For example, we are taught from a young age to start a fire using only flint, having to first make a connection with the fire itself. Everything is alive, everything listens. You have to build a relationship with the elements around you to live a more balanced and fulfilling life. Indigenous nations around the world know this and respect the earth, wind, fire and water. By going into nature, people can disconnect from their egos and identities and reconnect with their ancient spirit.

Many do not understand the vast differences that have existed between nations since the dawn of time, and these traditions have been passed down orally from generation to generation. Some nations were erased completely, and others lost many traditions, including their native tongue. Thankfully, my ancestral language has survived and we speak it regularly within the community. Other communities kind of envy us because we can still talk. We can still pray in our own language, and they even ask us to come and pray for them because they lost that tongue. Once you lose your own language, well then then you're kinda just…like everyone else. You're, how you say, “civilized.” You don't know anything about your family history or how you got here, and that's sad when you have to learn via the internet or history books about your own past. And many of the white-washed educational material tells a completely different story to the truth; people become brainwashed.

That’s why it’s important to maintain the oral tradition within the families, but elders are weary of sharing too many details with people outside of the community for fear they will be stolen or misinterpreted. I have a passion for storytelling in all types of creative forms of expression, and I have this idea of illustrating our ancestral origin story. I’m not sure if I will get permission to do this, but I am dedicated to continuing to find ways of opening up our community so we aren’t so isolated from the rest of the world. I completely understand the generational trauma that makes isolation sound like the safer option, but with Covid deaths being substantially greater among Native Americans, it makes one think about the future. I look forward to continuing to find ways to share the culture and traditions of my ancestors with others and enjoy learning about their unique cultural traditions as well. It’s vital that the younger generations find that balance between embracing change and upholding traditions that honor the legacy of their people and the struggles of those that came before us. My spirit embodies the joy and appreciation for life on this great planet when I dance, and I hope to inspire others to feel this same sense of gratitude and connection so they can do their part to ensure future generations get to experience it as well.