Culture 4

Bibliography
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2000. JINGLE DANCER. Ill. By Cornelius Van Wright and Yin-Hwa Hu. New York, NY: Morrow Junior Books. ISBN 0688162428.

Plot Summary
Jenna is a young Native American girl who is living in today’s world, yet has a deep love for her Native American traditions. Jenna wants to do the traditional jingle dance at the yearly powwow. She has a dress to wear, but it does not have any jingles on it. She goes around visiting relatives and friends and hopes to find enough jingles to so that she can dance at the powwow.

Critical Analysis
The setting of this story occurs during today’s modern times. Jenna is dressed as a typical young girl with a t-shirt and jeans through most of the story. All the characters in the story are dressed in modern clothes and the houses are decorated with modern furnishings. We see Native Americans and how they live just like everyone else. They live in houses and not Teepees. It gives a realistic view of life and not a stereotypical view. The book shows us that a powwow is a special occasion. The author’s beautiful style of writing creatively incorporates many Native American traditions and cultural markers into the story.

The plot revolves around Jenna getting enough jingles on her dress so that she will be able to dance at the powwow. We clearly see how very important this tradition is to her. She watches over and over the video of her grandmother dancing the traditional Indian dance. As she visits different friends and family members we see that they are just like all typical American families. Jenna’s cousin lives in an apartment and works for a law firm. Her friend Mrs. Scott lives in a brand new duplex.

Throughout the story Native American traditions are woven into the text. The author marks time with sayings such as “As Moon kissed Sun good night”. Jenna eats traditional food like fry bread with honey on it. The story has a beat within it. We hear the tink, tink, tink, tink, of the jingles and the brum, brum, brum brum of the powwow drum throughout the story. This gives it an authentic Native American feel.

The beautiful watercolor illustrations really add an authentic feel. We see how the modern day Jenna looks in her typical day to day surroundings, and then we see her dressed up in the traditional Native American dress for the powwow. The soft colors and muted tones add a southwestern feel to the story.

Review Excerpts
From Publishers WeeklySmith, a mixed-blood member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, convincingly juxtaposes cherished Native American tradition and contemporary lifestyle in this smooth debut. Watching a videotape of Grandma Wolfe performing a jingle dance, Jenna is determined to dance at an upcoming powwow. But she lacks the cone-shaped, tin jingles that are sewn on to dancers' dresses as part of the regalia. The girl walks down a suburban sidewalk lined with modern houses as she sets out to visit her great-aunt, a neighbor, a cousin and Grandma Wolfe, all of whom lend her jingles for her dress. Smith's language consciously evokes legend. For example, "As Sun caught a glimpse of the Moon" indicates the time of day; and Jenna is careful to borrow only a limited number of jingles, "not wanting to take so many that [another's] dress would lose its voice." Van Wright and Hu's (Jewels) lifelike renderings capture the genuine affection between Jenna and these caring older women. Their easy integration of Native and standard furnishings and clothing gracefully complement Smith's heartening portrait of a harmonious meshing of old and new. Ages 4-10. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library JournalKindergarten-Grade 3-Without enough tin jingles to make her dress sing, how can Jenna be a jingle dancer just like Grandma Wolfe at the next powwow? She borrows one row from Great-aunt Sis, whose aching legs keep her from dancing; another from Mrs. Scott, who sells fry bread; one from Cousin Elizabeth, whose work keeps her away from the festivities; and a fourth row from Grandma, who helps Jenna sew the jingles to her dress, assemble her regalia, and practice her bounce-steps. When the big day arrives, the girl feels proud to represent these four women and carry on their tradition. Watercolor paintings in bright, warm tones fill each page. In scenes where she is dancing, backgrounds of blurred figures effectively represent both the large audience and the many generations whose tradition the gathering honors. Seeing Jenna as both a modern girl in the suburban homes of her intertribal community and as one of many traditionally costumed participants at the powwow will give some readers a new view of a contemporary Native American way of life. An author's note and glossary tell more about the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Ojibway origins of jingle dancing, and the significance of the number four in Native American tradition. This picture book will not only satisfy a need for materials on Native American customs, but will also be a welcome addition to stories about traditions passed down by the women of a culture.Ginny Gustin, Sonoma County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA

Connections
Students can do research on the history of the Jingle Dance
Students can research contemporary Native Americans
Students can research the Ojibway people who are credited (along with other Native women of Canada) with the Jingle Dance