Cultural educators empower Native communities through dance

(MUSCOGEE RESERVATION) In a society where Native American culture is often overlooked, one group is taking an innovative approach to connect with Native Americans and share Native culture.

On June 23-25, Michelle Reed (Ojibwe) of N8V Dance Fitness traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to offer free community fitness and cultural maker classes, promoting healing and empowerment to the Native American community.

N8V Dance Fitness is a Michigan-based dance studio that offers dance fitness inspired by powwow dance, as well as cultural maker classes. 

Reed founded N8V Dance Fitness eight years ago. The cultural maker classes, such as pouch sewing and replica tooth necklace crafting, are built into the program to build community and empower participants to connect with Native culture and arts.

“The idea for these maker classes is to build confidence and go even bigger on the next project,” Reed said.

VNN sponsored N8V Dance’s recent trip to Tulsa, where Reed was joined by Simon Washee, a local powwow dancer who uses his skills to engage Native youth in schools, teaching them about Native American history, culture and the significance of powwow.

Washee said he measures the impact of his classes by how receptive and interactive the participants are. He looks for genuine interest in the knowledge and stories he shares.

Although audiences are often receptive and engaged, cultural groups like Reed’s often face challenges. Washee noted that many schools are resistant to incorporating Native American classes, programs and teachers. 

“Just to get into the door with them is a lot of work,” Washee explained. “To be able to even have a class is a lot of work.” He attributes this resistance to a lack of understanding and awareness among non-Native people in schools and communities.

Washee emphasized the importance of external support, urging individuals and organizations to become more knowledgeable about Native American issues. He said his own family history contributes to his desire to educate others about Native culture. As a fourth-generation fancy dancer, Washee’s upbringing was steeped in tradition. His family actively participated in traditional societies, ceremonies and Native American church, ensuring their culture was passed down through generations.

Washee’s family history also includes trauma due to systematic U.S. government efforts to annihilate Native people. Washee recounted his family’s survival of the 1864 Sand Creek massacre, the deadliest day in Colorado’s history. The U.S. Army, under the guise of protection, had relocated hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho people to an encampment near Fort Lyon in the former Colorado Territories. U.S. troops then surrounded and attacked them in the night, killing around 230 people.

Washee added that later, his grandfather was forced to attend a Native American boarding school, where he was stripped of his language and culture. 

“Knowing where my family came from, and the struggle to even be Native American in that day’s culture and even today’s culture — that is the reason why I do the things I do today,” Washee said.

Washee believes history continues to impact society, not only culturally but systematically, such as in outdated laws and historical inaccuracies perpetuated through education.  Inaccurate historical representation and limited curricula often do not address the needs of Native American students, he said, leading to disengagement and lower academic achievement. 

“When our history and our history books have excluded some of that information, the general public’s not going to know what we’ve gone through and what we still go through today,” Washee said.

VNN Oklahoma’s N8V Dance Fitness and Maker Classes were made possible in part by an American Press Institute grant. Special thanks to River Spirit Casino Resort for hosting our educators, to Southwest Trading Company for providing raffle items for class attendees, and the Tulsa Indian Club/Tulsa Powwow for spending an evening of singing with attendees and other community members.