Different Dances and Dance Styles

Gourd dancing is not a usual pow wow dance style, but is more a separate type of dance. This dance occurs before the Grand Entry of a pow wow or as a Dance by itself. Only Gourd dancers may dance the Gourd dance sessions. The dance is usually held in sets, with about four songs to a set. The purpose of the Gourd dance is to prepare the dance arena by "cleansing it" prior to the actual ritual of the pow wow or dance.

 The Kiowa and a few southern plains Indians originated the Gourd Dance. Originally performed by the warriors or 'Dog Soldiers', it is a religious dance similar to the Sun Dance of the Lakota people. The Kiowa Gourd Society originated in Montana prior to 1870 and its origin is known as the 'Red Wolf legend'. This dance usually begins in the afternoon and signals the gathering of the Indian people to the dance. According to this legend, a Kiowa warrior was separated from his comrades while on a war journey. He ran out of provisions and begun to give up hope of seeing his people again when he heard singing beyond a nearby hill.

When he climbed the hill, he saw a tall, lean red wolf standing on its hind legs and singing. In its paw it held a gourd, which was used to keep time with each song. At the end of each song, it would howl and shake the rattle. The warrior was mesmerized throughout the night by the singing and dancing. At dawn, the wolf turned to the warrior and said. "Take this dance and these songs to your people. As long as they cherish their tribal way, this dance and these songs will be with them." To this day, the Kiowa honor the red wolf at the end of each song by shaking their rattles and rendering a wolf howl.

Honoring the Dancers

As the United San Antonio Pow Wow is not a contest pow wow, the best and most skilled dancers are not formally recognized and honored for their abilities on the dance floor. However, individual participants and spectators may recognize and honor their favorite dancers during the exhibition dances held throughout the pow wow. Exhibition dances (Tiny Tots, Fancy Shawl, Traditional, etc.) are announced by the Master of Ceremonies. During these exhibitions, individuals may be honor dancers by placing money at the dancer's feet during the exhibition song. The dancer will then dance in place and allows others to honor the dancer with additional monetary gifts. When the song is completed, the dancer will stand in place until the money is picked up (usually by the arena director) and given to the honoree. Spectators are encouraged to honor and recognize dancers throughout the pow wow.

The hoop dance, a traditional dance among the Plains Indians, is a celebration of the annual rebirth of nature that occurs every springtime. The spiritual significance of the dance begins with the hoops themselves, 28 in number, each one representing a day in the lunar cycle. The hoops are symbolic of the "great hoop of life, where the sky meets the earth, and all the hoops that exist within that sphere". The "Hoops of Many Hoops" at the conclusion of the dance represents the sun, the moon, the earth, all light, all life, and the human spirit reaching towards the realization that everything is interconnected. It is also the depiction of an old Sioux prophecy that one-day in the future all peoples, friends and enemies alike, shall sit down in peace, united in a single great circle by the common bond of their humanity.