For me the highlight of this ceremonial season is the chance to dance with my son. To be sure I have danced with him before. I particularly remember a War Dance where we faced off scratching the ground wildly trying to intimidate each other but doing it in the slightly crazy manner that is part of this dance. We jumped wildly at each other weapons in hands howling like coyotes, eyes open wide trying our best to make the other back down. How To War Dance This year is special. He turned 21 on March first and as he is quick to remind me, he is now an adult. He is no longer the child I held in his basket while at his first dance. He is no longer the boy who would toddle around the benches looking for his Grandmother or cousins while the dance was going on. He is no longer the child who would help his Elders find their seats and then curl up at their feet to watch the dance (as long as he could before he drifted off to sleep as this dance goes all night). We will dance together in the Brush Dance at Kaatimiin, the center of the Karuk world, our home village. Where we once danced as father and son we will now dance as two men. Two Karuk men helping to make the world a better place.Read More on the Story:
André Cramblit: Summer, a Time to Keep the World in Balance Through Dance (Indian Country Media Network 7/21)
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