Culture 4: Native American Literature - Cynthia Leitich Smith

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA:

Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2000. JINGLE DANCER. Ill. by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu. New York: Morrow Junior Books. ISBN 0688162428

PLOT SUMMARY:

Young Jenna daydreams of one day dancing with jingles on her dress at powwow like her Grandma Wolfe. When Jenna tells Grandma Wolfe that she wants to jingle dance, Grandma Wolfe tells her that she can dance without the jingles since there is not enough to time to order jingles before the upcoming powwow. Determined to make her dress “sing,” Jenna sets off to find her four rows of jingles. As Jenna visits several women in her family, she borrows just enough jingles from each woman so that their dresses would not lose their voices by giving up some of the jingles. After helping Grandma Wolfe sew the jingles onto her dress and practicing her “bounce-steps,” Jenna is finally able to jingle dance at the powwow for all of the women who helped give her dress its voice.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

JINGLE DANCER takes place in modern times in Oklahoma. An extensive author’s note gives readers significant background information for the story and reveals many important cultural markers for the story. For example, the author’s note reveals that Jenna is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is also of Ojibway (Chippewa/Anishinabe) descent. Jenna’s cultural heritage shapes the plot of the story as she sets out to find jingles to add to her dress to make it “sing” for the upcoming powwow. The author’s note also reveals the use of the number four in JINGLE DANCER (four rows of jingles, four women donating jingles, four directions of Jenna’s travel) and significance of the number four among many Native people (“the four directions, four seasons, four stages of life, and four colors of man”).

The characters are warm and inviting, and they give readers a good look at Jenna’s sense of family and community. Every home Jenna visits as she sets off to collect jingles introduces another female friend or family member. The compassion and friendliness shown to Jenna by these women gives readers a sense of community, and Jenna completes the circle of community by dancing her jingle dance for all of the women who helped her dress “sing.” Young readers will see themselves in Jenna as she works to make her dream come true, and they will also learn about Jenna’s culture through her actions in the story. Food is also a significant cultural marker for the characters in the story as “fry bread” and “Indian tacos” are mentioned.

Cynthia Leitich Smith uses beautiful, poetic language to tell Jenna’s tale, giving the story a folktale feel. For example, Smith states, “Every Grandma bounce-step brought clattering tinks as light blurred silver against jingles of tin.” Smith’s distinctive word choice and poetic language bring the story to life and enrich the unique feel of the story. Smith also imitates sounds frequently throughout the story, such as the “tink, tink, tink, tink” of the jingles and the “brum, brum, brum, brum” of the powwow drum, accentuating important sounds for Jenna’s cultural tradition.

The warm and realistic illustrations match the language of the story and give readers a lovely look at Jenna’s culture. The depictions of the traditional dresses and shoes are beautiful, and the balance of modern clothing, such as Jenna’s jeans and Cousin Elizabeth’s business suit, solidifies readers’ understanding of Jenna’s contemporary American Indian lifestyle. Furthermore, illustrations of modern homes with televisions will show young readers how much they have in common with Jenna. Wright and Hu do an excellent job of carefully illustrating skin tones and hair colors to maintain cultural accuracy.

JINGLE DANCER is a fantastic story to share with children, and it is steeped in rich cultural details that make it a superb multicultural selection. A small glossary at the back of the book will also help clarify the meanings of some of the words used throughout the story.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

From BOOKLIST (May 2000):
”This contemporary Native American tale highlights the importance of family and community through a young girl's dream of joining the dancers at the next powwow. Jenna is a girl of Muscogee (Creek) and Ojibway (Chippewa/Anishinabe) descent… The way Jenna gathers her jingles (borrowing enough to make a row, but not so many that the lender's dress will "lose its voice"), and her promise to dance for the women who cannot dance for themselves illustrate the importance of family and community ties. The colorful, well-executed watercolor illustrations lend warmth to the story. A note explaining Jenna's heritage and a brief glossary are appended.”

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (July 2000):
“Seeing Jenna as both a modern girl in the suburban homes of her intertribal community and as one of many traditionally costumed participants at the powwow will give some readers a new view of a contemporary Native American way of life. An author's note and glossary tell more about the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Ojibway origins of jingle dancing, and the significance of the number four in Native American tradition. This picture book will not only satisfy a need for materials on Native American customs, but will also be a welcome addition to stories about traditions passed down by the women of a culture.”

CONNECTIONS:

After reading JINGLE DANCER, be sure to share the author’s note at the end with children. Cynthia Leitich Smith gives a multitude of cultural facts in the author’s note, and sharing this information with children can be a fun and educational way to learn about another culture.

In JINGLE DANCER, jingle dancing at the powwow is a family tradition for Jenna. Encourage students to think about and possibly discuss some of their own family traditions.

Visit Cynthia Leitich Smith’s website at http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/.

Students might be interested in learning more about jingle dances. Assist them with researching more about this fascinating cultural tradition. If someone in the community has first-hand experience with this tradition, invite him or her to the school to share his or her story.