Mirrors & Windows: Cultural Dances
Tala Learns to Siva and Jingle Dance
When there are enough books available that can act as both mirrors and windows for all our children, they will see we can celebrate both our differences and our similarities
- Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop
Mirrors, in this context, enable people (including students) to look at the world around them and see others like themselves reflected back. In other words, they see themselves represented. Windows allow people to look through and see others, experiences, and cultures different from their own, expanding their perspectives and deepening empathy. Both are important. Representation skews heavily towards dominant culture, so we need to be intentional about ensuring that people (students in particular) are seeing representation from a variety of perspectives.
Today I’m excited to share two books that highlight different cultural dances. Dance is an element of surface culture, the observable elements of a group of people. While the dance itself is what’s observed, it’s tied to deeper tradition, symbolism, and community elements of shallow and deep culture.
Tala Learns to Siva written by Kealani Netane & illustrated by Dung Ho
Young Tala watches her aunt perform the taualuga, a distinguished dance in Samoan culture. She asks her aunt to teach her how to dance and gets frustrated when she doesn’t look or feel as graceful as her aunt. Through perseverance, practice, and encouragement, Tala learns the dance for her grandmother’s birthday.
Throughout the book, there is an emphasis on below-the-surface cultural elements of storytelling and gaining strength from one’s ancestors. The author’s note gives more background about the taualuga and the experience that inspired her to write about it.
Jingle Dance written by Cynthia Leitich Smith & illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu
Jenna admires her grandmother’s jingle dress and daydreams of the day when she can be part of the jingle dance. Her grandmother tells her she can dance at the new powwow, but there’s not enough time to mail-order tins for rolling jingles. (According to the author’s note, jingles are traditionally made from aluminum or silver lids of snuff cans or other lids that are then rolled into cones.) Jenna turns to her family and community to gather what she needs to give voice to her dress, while being careful not to cause other women’s dresses to lose their voice. Before the powwow, Jenna and Grandma Wolfe sew the jingles on her regalia, and at the powwow, she jingle dances to the beat of the drum.
In addition to more information about jingle dresses and dances, the author’s note also shares some cultural background about other aspects of the book as well, including the significance behind the number four being repeated throughout the book.
What other books or videos about different cultural dances do you recommend?
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