Locke painted pictures of earth through dance
 No comments posted.
By TOM CHISHOLM
Friday, November 16, 2007 3:54 PM CST
For the Herald
Joining the circle of life, Kevin Locke coached 10 lively members of the audience in the finale of the Hoop Dance on Nov. 6. They were two-legged animals prancing in a tangle of circles while Kevin danced effortlessly, changing patterns of four colors, white, red, black and yellow hoops uniting and representing the races of mankind.
He painted pictures of earth, moon, sun, stars, sky, the four directions and seasons, butterflies, birds and animals, the essential elements of North American Indian culture to the beat of thundering drums, and the voices of three men and two women.
The volunteers were fatigued but happy when the music and dancing ended. Even Kevin was perspiring after weaving smoothly in, out and through the circles of harmony.
The lessons hidden in every leaf, rock, stream, mountain, valley and plain which provide life to all creatures of mother earth were reflected in the brilliant kaleidoscope of ancient costumes.
The handmade jingle dress and great eagle-feather headdresses were exquisite. Each song and dance recreated the sounds of wind, animals, birds and geographic features of our land. Though the lyrics were Ojibwa, Lakota or Comanache, the message was clear.
In the opening number, Kevin used his hands to describe the meaning of the music in a beautiful pantomime of the 23rd Psalm. The audience easily grasped and responded to his nonverbal prayer.
Modern life in rectangular communities is rigid. We escape regulated urban lives for the beauty of woodlands and the vastness of the Great Plains. Rituals and printed prayers celebrated in solid buildings often express fear of the Lord rather than confidence in the Great Spirit while the sun is refracted through stained glass, quite different from the spiritual implications of the an Indian hoop dance.
Unlike a Powwow, this performance at the Cultural Center was more intimate and meaningful. The mellow tones of the flutes, the thunder of the drum, the intensity and pitch of the voices created a historical picture of life unknown to those unfamiliar with Indian life or the ceremonies performed before a buffalo hunt or thanksgiving for the sun and all the creatures that give life to the world.
Dancing in costume, the broad wing span and mask of its white head, the lovely Thirza Defoe dove and rose, flying round the stage with an occasional high pitched, eerie screech of a Bald Eagle, revered by Indians and Pale Faces alike, a symbol of the United States.
Almost extinct in the early 20th century, Eagles rise again on air currents over the Chippewa Valley, the Mississippi and the sacred forests of the Black Hills. Kevin Locke’s team preserves Native American history, art and traditions of his people, and reminds all of us what was lost and gained during the centuries since Europeans found this vibrant land we all call home. Together we are bound to protect and improve this hallowed land and preserve it for future generations.
|
Archives