Jamie John

21, Grand Traverse Band Of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Kitchi Wiikiwedong Anishinaabe

The jingle dress dance came from the Anishinaabe people and is a healing dance. I myself am a jingle dress dancer and make my regalia with help from my mom and aunties. The sound of jingle cones is how the prayers travel up to the eagle and to the spirit world. I’m deeply connected to my culture, community, and ancestral homelands and grew up listening to my elders. With every art form, from dancing to painting & drawing, I hope to say that Indigenous people are powerful and that our sovereignty can never be taken away, no matter what.