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Great Lakes Native Dance Regalia Collection

Pow wows are important Native American social and cultural gatherings, of which music and dance are integral parts. Regalia, the apparel worn by dancers, includes headdresses, bustles, jewelry, sashes, dresses, shirts, leggings, shawls, and a variety of handheld items.

Staff of the Nokomis American Indian Learning Center (Okemos, Michigan) and the Michigan State University Museum coordinated a project, funded by Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, to document the work of contemporary American Indian artists in the Great Lakes region whose artistry is closely tied to pow wows. Artists that were featured in the publication, "Contemporary Great Lakes Pow Wow Regalia: Nda Maamawigaami (Together We Dance),"  included Tony Miron, Catherine Gibson, Jason George, Bedahbin Webkamigad, and Rochelle Shano Whitepigeon and their work included regalia associated with the Grass Dance, Fancy Shawl Dance, Men's Traditional Dance, Women's Traditional Dance, Fancy Dance, and Jingle Dance. Regalia items and pow wow photographs are included in the collection.

Donors and Fieldworkers

Minnie Wabanimkee, Arnie Parish, Marclay Crampton, Cameron Wood, Dr. Marsha MacDowell

Exhibitions

"Contemporary Great Lakes Pow Wow Regalia: Nda Maamawigaami (Together We Dance)," Nokomis Learning Center, Okemos, Michigan, January - November, 1997; Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, February - April, 1998; Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Kalamazoo, Michigan, January 30 - May 30, 1999; Nokomis Learning Center, Okemos, Michigan, September, 1999 - June, 2000.

Publications

Marsha MacDowell, ed. "Nda Maamawigaami (Together We Dance)": Contemporary Great Lakes Pow Wow Regalia. East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University Museum in collaboration with the Nokomis Learning Center, 1997.

Hair medallions, Bedahbin Webkamigad, Odawa, Lansing, Michigan, 1996

Jingle dress, commissioned by Judy Pierzynowski, Odawa/Ojibwe, 1996

Fancy dance regalia bustle, Jason George, Kettle Point, Ontario, 1990s