The Women's Fancy Shawl Dance The women's Fancy Shawl Dance is a relatively new dance. Until only recently, women performed their fancy dancing in traditional garb. Some accounts say in the early 1900's shawls replaced the blankets and buffalo robes young girls traditionally wore in public. In the 30's and 40's, young women would show off the shawls they made by doing some fancy footwork at the dances, and some say that's how the women's Fancy Shawl Dance was born. The Fancy Shawl Dance outfit consists of a decorative knee-length cloth dress, beaded moccasins with matching leggings, a fancy shawl and various pieces of jewelry. The dance itself is similar to the men's Fancy Dance, and the style is moving toward more movement, especially spinning. Footwork is the chief element of dance. Fancy shawl dancers must follow the changing beat of the drum and stop when the music does with both feet on the ground. It should be noted that powwow practices vary from region to region in United States and Canada. Sincere thanks and acknowledgment to the American Indian Education Committee of the Minnesota State Board of Education who sponsored those who wrote the Ojibwe content of this unit.

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