Hoop Dancing, Beadwork & Passing on Tradition with Wayne Fox

Good afternoon my name is Wayne Fox I’m from the white shield from white shield North Dakota I’m an Aurora Hadassah man dan from MHA nation I work as a superintendent at the white shield school currently and today we did a presentation about the hoop dance and also grass dance and some couple various type of other songs that are sung through the throughout the country and throughout just this weekend we just we just got done with the white shield celebration there Rick Ross celebration it turned out very well we had top-notch drums throughout the United States I think we had a good lineup of drums and saw the dancers enjoyed every I think every song every everything that was going on worth that today we did a presentation with my son my son not bei that’s been kinda that’s been watching me throughout probably throughout my lifetime and one of the things that I’ve always talked to him about what was learning was learning how to learn how to do this how do I whatever you put on make sure you know that story and his beadwork is probably one of the most beautiful you know types of beadwork that is that we see around and this was also you don’t give it to him by his grandma for his you know just for his dancing capability he’s he’s been able to travel throughout the throughout the United States dancing and right now he is just he’s learning how to do the hoop dance and that’s that’s a tough job in itself because there’s there’s many types you know of other hoop dancers that are out there younger hoop dancers and I know he sees the pictures he talks about them he always you know and I know he kind of want he wants to get there you know and as for myself when I start hoop dancing you know you can actually start grass dancing I was had the opportunity to see the world you know not once I ever think these hoops would take me all over you know to Costa Rica to Ireland to Scotland you know and I was just a I always looked at myself as just a just a young man from the reservation who you know who’d ever think I’d be there and be the recipient of the Martin Luther King award you know and I think that was probably one of the best moments of my life and I know at that time my son was probably about um maybe six and I know he had he had his hoops and I think we still have one of his hoops one of your hoops we still have one of his hoops when he first started and we always like we’ve always carried it around with us and you know when I and I’ve never forgotten it I saw this is like one of his very first hoops when he stopped dancing so I can’t even imagine how small he used to be you know but he would have ten hoops and he would dance he would go through them and he would you would travel with me to Denver Colorado all over to do schools to hoop dance and as I you know get older you know they always asked they’d give me a call and they’d say Wayne you think you can do the hoop dance and I guess it’s the pride saying yeah I can do this I could do this and then as it kind of gets down further down the road a son I think you didn’t have to do this so I got I put my son on the spot you know and I think but I firmly believe making him come out of his comfort zone and being able to perform and being able to be in front of people and to share this dance it it’ll really I think enhances his maybe his speaking ability is his public speaking and and more it being more confident with himself so there’s a you know there’s a lot of teachings to this you know and it’s just not the traditional aspects of the dance but of you know if you look at it today of how we have to be you know as native people and you know and it just as everybody you know what to have those good speaking skills and being able to speak in front of uh you know tons of people and not be able to sweat and that’s one thing and so and one thing my son hasn’t been able to master yet what is to dance and speak you know and so I know I would do five songs and I would do the Grand inch of grass dance and then I would do a crow hop then the sneak-up and then the necklace breaker the real fast song that shirt then I would do the hoop dance but all in between those five I would speak and so back then I probably had to be I was in pretty good shape so I was and I’m not safe taking anything I know he’s and she’s probably more in shape than ever I was when I was young but once again you know he’s he’s he’s in his learning it’s in his learning process learning mode right now and then and it’s I’m just passing the torch Donna and I think he’s he’s done real well and I know one of the one of the main things I always talk about to him is um is how you carry yourself you know in the public how you speak