This website includes an article on the origin and purpose of the Woman’s Jingle Dress. I was curious if this costume had any other purpose besides making noise while the women danced. The jingles were originally made of lids from Copenhagen tobacco cans, but deer hooves and bird bones are sometimes used to make noise as well. I believe the jingles are simply used for making noise, but the Jingle Dress Dance is used for healing.
The aerial view of the campus shows that many of the buildings are traditionally circular shaped.
This is the course catalogue for Diné College for the 2010 and 2011 school year. We learned that the Navajo Nation passes down its culture’s beliefs and traditions to younger generations in order to try to keep it alive. I was curious to which classes a student would have to take at the community college founded by the Navajos. The college’s policies and student activities seem very similar to most colleges in the United States. The cornstalk philosophy is described in the beginning of the catalogue. It reiterates the cyclic ideas of the Navajo by stating, “When the kernel is planted it goes through a growth cycle in the same way humans go through their life cycle.” The college offers many common majors, and the general education requirements include classes in communications, humanities, mathematics, Navajo and Indian studies, physical education, and social and behavioral sciences.
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This is a video of a man named Toumani Diabate playing the kora. The symmetric orchestra is accompanying him. Not only is this ensemble inspiring and fascinating to watch, but also Toumani Diabate includes a brief lesson on how to play the kora. I thought that the name of the orchestra was interesting because it is most likely based off of the term, bilateral symmetry, we learned in class.
I liked the stuff you posted about the Navajo, and especially about the dress. I actually own a doll that has a jingle dress and was slightly shocked to see the dress in the videos in class in its realistic setting. Good job American Girl for teaching me about history and tradition in my childhood! I think the intricacy on these dresses are just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteGood, Emma. Toumani Diabate is actually the fellow from the video I showed in class--he described how he plays the kora. And the little girl in the jingle dress is really, really cute!
ReplyDeleteA request--when you transport text from other sites to your own, make sure the font color is one that we can read. Thanks!