Larry Yazzie, a Meskwaki Nation ambassador and cultural dancer, captivated his audience at Florida State University Panama City with a “Fancy Dance” on Oct. 29.
Dressed in a stunning traditional outfit adorned with colorful beads, eagle feathers and a porcupine headdress, Yazzie moved gracefully through a lecture hall to the rhythm of a drum. Toward the end of the presentation, attendees joined the dance and held hands, filling the room with energy, unity and respect for the enduring strength of Indigenous traditions.
Yazzie, who grew up on the Meskwaki Settlement in Tama, Iowa, said his youthful attraction to dancing was instantaneous.
“At the age of 7 years old, I was inspired by watching powwow dancers, and I told my mother I wanted to dance as well,” Yazzie reflected as he got ready for the night’s performance. “And so she got together with her auntie and they made something for me. It wasn’t as fancy, but it was something that got me out there. So, ever since then … now I’m 58. I’m dancing all the time. And that’s what keeps me motivated, inspired and healthy at the same time.”
The Meskwaki people are from the St. Lawrence River Valley along the Canadian border, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. And the dance originated in the 1950s to attract powwow visitors.
For more information about Yazzie, go to his Native Pride Productions website at https://nativeprideproductions.com.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Meskwaki dancer shares message of cultural perseverance at FSU Panama City
Reporting by Tyler Orsburn, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
