Chippewa Tribe dancers celebrate heritage, tradition

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The Ziibiwing Center hosted members of the Chippewa Tribe honoring their ancestors in dance July 2.

“For us, dancing is about telling a story,” said Rachel Butzin.

Butzin is a member of the Wolf Clan, and has been dancing on and off for the past five years.

“Every dance is unique in the sense that each one is about something different,” she said. “It takes a lot of skill to do the dances correctly. Most of the dancers are really athletic.”

There are many styles of dance, but Saturday focused on traditional dancing, the Native’s oldest style.

Men’s traditional dances are filled with stories of creation, combat and hunting — but for women, dancing is all about honoring the connection shared with mother earth; light footwork and graceful movements.

Dancing for the Chippewa tribe is as much about regalia as it is about the actual dancing. Years of work go into the extravagantly decorated outfits; from the brightly colored head dresses, to the hand stitched beading, to the long eagle feathers to the dyed deer hair. Ceremonial outfits are constantly added to and improved upon.

16-year-old David Merrill of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe and member of the Turtle Clan has been collecting pieces for his outfit for some time now.

“It is a family effort, the regalia is always building,” said Merrill. “I dance for my family and to represent my tribe.”

David’s eagle feathers were given to him as a gift from his grandmother, his shirt was made by his aunt and the leggings he wore were made by his Uncle.

10-year-old Raymond Fisher of the Turtle Clan, the youngest of the dancers, has been dancing since he was 7.

“My favorite piece I own is this necklace,” said Raymond holding up his brightly colored necklace, “it’s made of bear claws!”

For some tribe members, dancing is a way to openly express prayer in a physical form. Years of religious persecution have prevented many native people from practicing dancing until recently, which is why people of the Chippewa tribe feel so deeply passionate about this tradition.