Chicago's Fifty Years of Powwows

<Adapted from the book of the same name>

Hoop Dance

The Hoop Dance represents the sacred circle of life. The person that performs this dance is the center of that scared circle. In order for one to attain the ability to perform the dance, one must receive it through a vision or through a dream that must be interpreted through a Holy Man.

Follow this link to see some Hoop Dancers in action.

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Kevin Locke, Hoop Dancer. University of Illinois at Chicago, 2003.

The Hoop Dance is a symbolic representation of an animal or a winged relative in honor of their natural essence.

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The book Chicago's Fifty Years of Powwow has many more photos and offers insights that are not presented in this Online Essay. To obtain a copy of your own, follow this offsite link to the webpage for the Chicago American Indian Center.