Native Pride Dancers Summer 2020 Magazine

EDUCATE. INSPIRE. MOTIVATE. S C H E D U L E A B O O K I N G T O D AY !

MEET LARRY YAZZIE Two-Time World Champion Fancy Dancer and Founder/Artistic Director of Native Pride Productions Published by The Time Group

WHO IS

LARRY YAZZIE?

Larry Yazzie is the Founder and Artistic Director of Native Pride Productions.

He is a performing artist, actor, Two-Time World Champion Men’s Fancy Dancer, Men’s Northern Style Traditional dancer and an eagle dancer. Larry and the Native Pride Dancers travel throughout the world to educate and entertain audiences of all ages about the beauty, skill, and majesty of Native American music and dance. Their mission is to educate, inspire, motivate and empower diverse communities to bridge cultural gaps through Indigenous traditions. They are based out of Saint Paul, MN.

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Q&A

G E T T O K N O W L A R R Y YA Z Z I E & T H E N AT I V E P R I D E D A N C E R S

Where did you grow up?

I grew up on The Meskwaki Settlement which is an unincorporated community in Tama County, Iowa. This was part of the historic territory of the Meskwaki, an Algonquian people. Since 1857, when Meskwaki bought land here, it has been home to a sizable community of Meskwaki Indians.

What is the significance or differences in the tribes?

There over 500 federally recognized tribes in the United States. We are of the Algonquin origin from the Eastern Woodland Culture areas.

Tell me about the different “regalia” and the different dances you perform.

There are different styles of dances in PowWow’s. I dance the Men’s Northern style fancy dance, a flamboyant and colorful style originated in Oklahoma back in the early 1900s. I also dance the Men’s Northern Style Traditional which is a dance telling the story of hunting the enemy or wild game for a successful hunt. The Eagle Dance is a dance of the sacred eagle giving honor and blessings for all those in need of healing and prayers.

What are some interesting facts about the native American culture that people probably don’t know?

Of the federally recognized tribes, 229 are located in Alaska. The remainder are spread across 33 other states. The 2010 U.S. Census reported 2.9 million people with pure American Indian and Alaska Native ancestry. Native Americans of mixed race totaled 2.3 million.

Each tribe is uniquely different through culture, language and each tribe still has sovereignty rights with the US government.

There is a lot of misconception about Native Americans and that we don’t pay taxes.

However we do pay taxes.

How did you learn Native American dancing and how long have you been doing this professionally?

We are very honorable people. Native Americans were the first to enlist in the armed services. Per capita, Native Americans served in wars as snipers, scouts and code talkers.

I started dancing at the age of 7 years old.

Every year in my community we hold our annual Meskwaki Powwow held every 2nd weekend in August. That’s when I knew I wanted to dance!

I’ve been dancing ever since. My dancing has literally taken me all over the world. I started dancing professionally 25 years ago.

What do you call the garments that you wear and where do you find them? They look extremely heavy. How much do they weigh?

I prefer to call my garments regalia or outfit. We don’t call them costumes because these items are sacred to us as indigenous people. The beadwork, quill work (quill of the porcupine and hair is used as part of our roach or headdress) takes many hours, days and months to create. It is made with prayer.

Where can people see your performances?

You can catch my performances at festivals, state fairs, colleges, universities, elementary, middle and high schools. We also perform at corporate events, conventions, parades, halftime shows and powwows.

How do you spend your time when you aren’t performing?

When I’m not performing, I spend a lot of my downtime in my homeland of the Meskwaki settlement. In the summertime I love gardening, cutting wood for our sacred fires, working out by running and biking and practicing my dance.

I love learning about my culture and attending our community ceremonies.

BRING NATIVE PRIDE DANCERS TO your community, school, university, festival, conference or corporate event!

(Virtual classes also available)

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Our mission is to educate, inspire, motivate and empower diverse communities to bridge cultural gaps through Indigenous traditions.

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