Jingle Dancer

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2000. JINGLE DANCER. Ill by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu. New York: Morrow Junior Books. ISBN 0688162428

PLOT SUMMARY-Jenna a young Muscogee girl living in modern times dreams to one day dance like her Grandmother Wolfe. Jenna watches her Grandmother Wolfe’s videotapes of her jingle dancing “again and again”. Sadly, Jenna learns that her regalia of hand rolled jingles could not be made in time for her to dance in this year’s powwow. Jenna wished that she could have four rows of jingles so her dress would be able to “sing” and goes in search of more jingles from relatives. The sun guides her way as she visits her family members carefully inheriting just enough jingles for “her dress to be able to sing”. Jenna is careful not to take too many jingles from her relative’s dresses so their “dresses would not loose their voice”. Jenna carries on her family’s traditions and proudly dances at the powwow in honor of all of her ancestors.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Jingle Dancer is set in modern day America and shows the reader how a young Muscogee girl blends her rich heritage with everyday life. Yes she is a young girl who wears blue jeans, but she is also a girl who dreams of dancing at the powwow like her grandmother did.

Cultural markers are present throughout the book referring to traditional dishes, such as “fry bread” or the telling of traditional tales of the Muscogee Creek like “The Great Ball Game”. Smith cleverly moves the story along using the sun to advance the reader, like “As a Sun fetched morning”, “As the Sun arrived at midcircle”, or “As Sun caught a glimpse of Moon”. The Sun has traditionally been an important figure in to Native Americans.

The water color illustrations help depict life in an “intertribal community”. The illustrations help show their modern life but with hints of their heritage, for example “woven blankets over the couches”, “paintings”, “earrings worn” and even a “dream catcher” placed in the corner of a bookshelf.
The author’s note at the conclusion of the story gives the reader more information about jingle dresses and their heritage. Smith also providers her readers with a glossary to help understand vocabulary used within her story.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist- “This contemporary Native American tale highlights the importance of family and community through a young girl's dream of joining the dancers at the next powwow”

Children’s Literature- “The blending of contemporary and traditional, the feel of a child secure in that embrace, the changing face of art and craft and tradition itself--these are refreshingly and unobtrusively depicted here.”

Other Books by Cytnhia Leitich Smith:
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. Indian Shoes. ISBN 9780060295325.
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. Rain is not my Indian name. ISBN 9780807204290.