Why We Dance, a new documentary by filmmaker Oogie Push, examines the culture and history of dance within Indigenous communities.
Push is a member of the Meskwaki Nation — Iowa’s only federally recognized Native American tribe. She said dancing was a key part of her upbringing.
“We grew up going to powwows, and we met a lot of people across Indian country, and we still maintain those relationships today,” Push said. “It's just an amazing culture to be a part of. It's very much alive and thriving.”
Push explained that the powwow tradition has endured as a way for Indigenous nations to preserve culture in the face of ongoing atrocities.
“It's our culture getting passed down from generation to generation. It originally was a way for the tribe to buy land back, so that we wouldn't have to move again,” she said.
A history of erasure
The documentary explores how dance is a cornerstone of many Indigenous cultures, despite ongoing federal attempts to suppress their traditions.
The Meskwaki people have refused to be silent. In response to the order to stop dancing, they organized a 4-day celebration that drew crowds from neighboring towns and other Tribal Nations. 100 years later, the Meskwaki Annual Powwow continues to celebrate the culture and history of the Meskwaki people.
Creating the documentary
The project began with an idea from Push's cousin, Jerod Pushetonequa, to feature dancers in a short advertisement. Push connected her cousin with videographer Ryan Stopera.
“What he wanted to do was create a 60-second short spot to use as an advertisement to book more dance performance gigs,” Push said. “It snowballed and ended up being a documentary."
The film opens with dancer Canku One Star, an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. He's a Fancy Dancer, a style known for its precise footwork and colorful regalia.
One Star likes to wear large bustles — a traditional piece of men's dance regalia commonly dressed in feathers — along with other distinctive pieces.
"The bustles stand out, and then he has beaded pieces that he wears around him that his mom and his sister help bead," said Push.
As the director of photography, Stopera captured One Star’s transformation into an almost otherworldly dancer.
“The way he dances and moves over the course of a few minutes is really powerful,” Stopera said of the experience.
The documentary team traveled across the country, from Iowa to South Dakota to Hawaii and Mexico to collect stories. Pualeilani-Paiea Kamahoahoa of the Kingdom of Hawaii, featured in the film, described the troubled relationship between Native Hawaiians and island visitors.
"We still have to tolerate the injustices, and we do it every day. They'll tell Mom to sing Blue Hawaii or Somewhere Over the Rainbow ... You can't help but leave the hotel and the resorts, and Waikiki sometimes, and cry because you don't know if you're doing your own people injustices. It's another day and another dollar," Kamahoahoa said.
Stopera said each community's story began to weave together naturally as they filmed.
“It just affirmed the connection and solidarity between indigenous people across the world,” he said.
Push, who describes herself as a storyteller at heart, hopes to expand what people know about indigenous culture.
“I think that people could benefit from seeing the world through our eyes. We have a deep connection and relationship with the land, the earth and the environment that we live in,” she said.
With an outpouring of support from her community, Push believes these stories will live on.
“I'm so very proud of my ancestors and my people, and so proud to be Meskwaki," she said. "We still exist. Our culture still lives. Our language is still alive, and that is amazing."
To hear this conversation, listen to Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe. Samantha McIntosh produced this episode.
