The Gourd Dance

Click here for larger image George Alexander Photo

Gourd Dance:

Gourd Dancing is not a Pow-Wow contest division, it is purely a social form of dance that is usually but not necessarily associated with the modern day Pow-Wow. This style of social dancing has several claims as to when, where, and how it originally began and there are plenty of interesting articles on the internet about this topic so we will not debate its origins here. The Gourd Dance session or "program" will typically begin the start of most Pow-Wow's throughout the State of Oklahoma. Gourd Dancing can begin as early as the late morning hours but typically it will start around 1:00-2:00 p.m. with eager dancers waiting on the chosen drum and it's singers to begin with the calling or "starting" song. The standard dress for a Gourd Dancer will be minimalistic in nature with just a few simple regalia items worn. Dancers normally wear long sleeve button up shirts with collars or they could wear custom made ribbon shirts depending on the tribal affiliation or the Gourd Dance Society they belong too. Most Gourd Dancers will wear a long red and blue gourd blanket that drapes across the back of the neck and hangs down the front of the chest and ends around the dancer’s knees. Dancers that wear these blankets will place the red side of the blanket on their left side to be close to their heart and the blue side is draped across the right side of the body. Veterans will often place war medals, prisoner of war decals, time served in the military or rank insignia on their blankets to show off their accomplishments. Other dancers will wear a cloth vest with appliqué designs of their Gourd Dance Club's logo or emblem on it. Black slacks, blue jeans, or buckskin leggings will cover the dancer's legs. Boots, dress shoes, or moccasins are the typical foot covering depending on the type of pants worn. Dancers that usually wear buckskin leggings and mocs will sometimes wear a black shawl apron with black fringe around the hips that usually hangs to just above the knees. Most dancers will also wear a bandolier of mescal beans, bone hair pipe, and brass or silver metal beads around the neck and left shoulder down to the right side of the dancer's hip. A red sash is also tied on around the Gourd Dancer's waist usually with red or blue shawl fringe sewed to the ends of the sash.

Typical hand carrying items include either a real gourd or a silver or gold salt shaker attached to a wooden handle. The top of the rattle will normally have a tied horsehair bundle while the handle itself can be fully or partially beaded. The bottom of the handle will usually have twisted buckskin fringe sewn on. The other hand will normally include an eagle or macaw tail feather fan. Gourd Dancers will usually start out by dancing close to the outside edge of the benches facing in towards the center drum and dance in place at the beginning of the song. The singers will beat the drum hard for a long duration reaching a slow and eventual apex. At that time, the hard beats will change to a softer beat for a short duration and the Gourd Dancers will take small steps to the left and the right of their original position. When the beat picks up once again, the Gourd Dancer will turn and face in towards the center drum. The standard dance step during the long hard drum beat duration is a basic up and down bounce from the balls of the dancers feet with knees slightly bent. The dancer's rattle will shake up and down every time the singers hit the drum with their drumsticks. The Gourd Dance program can change over to the Intertribal program at anytime before or after dinner break and usually after a prayer has been given. The normal closing song is commonly known as the "Charlie Brown Song" but this is not the only song that can close out the Gourd Dance program for that day. Sometimes a Buffalo Dance song will be sung following the Charlie Brown Song when the singers know that the Gourd Dance program for that year’s Pow-Wow will conclude.

Copyright Notice: You are more than welcome to "Cut, Copy & Paste" any of the text from this "Pow-Wow Dance Categories and Gourd Dance" page into another website or electronic document, but please create a link back to this page or an acknowledgement from this Pow-Wow Oklahoma! website if you choose to do so.

Back to the Women's Dance Categories.