The Shiibaashka'igan – Jingle Dress is a sacred Anishinaabe
women's dress and dance tradition
GATINEAU, QC, June 26,
2024 /CNW/ - National historic designations are a way
to acknowledge and to learn about the full scope of our shared
history, including the difficult periods that are part of our past.
Understanding the events that have led to the Canada of today helps us reflect on how to
build a more inclusive society now and for future generations.
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment
and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks
Canada, announced the designation the Shiibaashka'igan
– Jingle Dress as an event of national historic significance.
The Shiibaashka'igan – Jingle Dress is a sacred Anishinaabe women's
dress and dance tradition. When the dress is worn, the jingles,
which are made of metal cones, make a rhythmic jingling sound when
they touch each other as the dancer moves to the tempo and beat of
the dance drum and traditional songs of the drum group.
Many oral traditions trace the origins of the Jingle Dress,
dating it from the early 20th century. This was a time of extreme
hardship caused by the influenza pandemic (1918-1919) and the
heightened implementation of assimilative policies by the federal
government, including the continued prohibition of First Nations'
cultural and spiritual ceremonies and practices. Handed down by
Gichi Manidoo (Creator) in a dream and drawing upon Anishinaabe
spiritual practices and traditions, Shiibaashka'igan has
become a popular and highly esteemed dance style and means of
healing, reclaiming culture, and asserting identity. One of the
most widely circulating oral traditions traces an origin of the
Jingle Dress to the late Maggie
White (1922–1991). When eight-year-old Maggie became
seriously ill, her grandfather Pinasse received a series of dreams
in which he was instructed to make a special dress adorned with
shiny metal cones for his granddaughter. He sewed the dress, asked
his very weak granddaughter to wear it, and taught her a dance that
he had received in his dreams. Despite her illness, the young girl
managed to dance, and she was cured. Later in life, Maggie White became known as the "First Lady of
the Jingle Dress Dance" because she popularised the Jingle Dress
and dance tradition at powwows throughout Canada and the
United States from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. Today,
the Jingle Dress Dance revered at both competition and traditional
powwows across North America where
new generations of women and Two-Spirit individuals continue to
share the dance.
The Government of Canada,
through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant persons,
places, and events that have shaped Canada. Sharing these stories helps foster
understanding and reflection on the diverse histories, cultures,
legacies, and realities of Canada's past and present.
The designation process under Parks Canada's National Program of
Historical Commemoration is largely driven by public nominations.
To date, more than 2,240 designations have been made nationwide. To
nominate a person, place or historic event in your community,
please visit the Parks Canada website for more information:
https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/proposer-nominate.
Quotes
"The Jingle Dress is a sacred garment and traditional dance
which continues to be a source of healing for individuals,
families, and communities. By commemorating the national historic
significance of the Shiibaashka'igan – Jingle Dress, we
encourage all Canadians to learn more about the perspectives,
cultures, and traditions of Indigenous Peoples and help to foster
better appreciation, awareness and understanding."
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of
Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks
Canada
"The jingle dress symbolizes the spirit of healing. The spirit
of dance, drum and the connection to family, community, and the
connection to the spiritual. These connections have helped maintain
the sacredness of life, to live in a good way: the original way of
how creator wanted us to live."
Mr. Randy White, grandson of
Maggie White
"Today's recognition of the Shiibaashka'igan – Jingle Dress is
an act of deep respect for the cultural heritage and healing
traditions of Anishinaabe communities. As we embrace the
significance of the Jingle Dress, we also advance our journey
towards reconciliation. Let the sound of the dress remind us of our
commitment to healing past wounds, fostering understanding, and
building a future rooted in respect, unity, and shared
purpose."
The Honorable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services
Quick Facts
- The Jingle Dress dance is an official powwow dance
category.
- Oral traditions place one of the origins of the dress and dance
in the early 20th century in the Anishnaabe community of
Naotkamegwanning First Nation (also known as Whitefish Bay) in the
Lake of the Woods region of
northwestern Ontario and another
in the Mille Lacs Ojibwe community of north-central Minnesota.
- The Jingle Dress has evolved from early examples of the 1920s,
which were simple in design and fabric and embellished with rows of
metal cones sewn across the bodice and ankle-length skirt, to the
later introduction of synthetic fabrics in vibrant colours with
embellishments and the cones sewn in straight rows or in geometric
patterns.
- Created in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of
Canada advises the Minister of
Environment and Climate Change regarding the national significance
of persons, places, and events that have marked Canada's history. Together with Parks Canada,
the Board ensures that subjects of national historic significance
are recognized under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical
Commemoration and these important stories are shared with
Canadians.
- Parks Canada is committed to
working with Canadians in our efforts to tell broader, more
inclusive stories in the places that it manages. In support of this
goal, the Framework for History and Commemoration outlines a
new, comprehensive, and engaging approach to sharing Canada's history through diverse perspectives,
including shedding light on tragic and difficult periods of
Canada's past.
Related Document
Backgrounder: Shiibaashka'igan | The Jingle Dress
Related Links
- Parks Canada
- National historic designations
- Framework for History and Commemoration
SOURCE Parks Canada (HQ)