It is well known that the Dakota people were always traveling to seek out a food source. Winter was probably the season to hunker down in the woods and open their food caches saved for this time when hunting and gathering were curtailed. The Dakota were also known for sharing their food and property. They gave it away. It was very impactable to pack up their belonging and move to another location. Dakota were also known for their dancing and singing, which they did on numerous occasions. During the Reservation Period (1880 – 1940) the people gathered at their round dance halls to sing and dance. One dance was called Thankyou for a gift (Wopida Wacipi). Alternate names for this dance: Slide Stepping, Giveaway Dance, and Friendship Dance.

Usually at the end of a festivity, all those who had received a gift formed a circle and danced to what is now known as a Round Dance (Iwakicipi) with a hard-soft (1-2, 1-2 etcetera) drum beat. The step is a simple; stepping to the left with the left foot on the load beat and bringing the right foot over to the left foot on the soft beat Nasdohan Wacipi). It is described as an accented beat followed by an un-accented beat. The circling dancers moving clock-wise in time to the drum. In the middle of the song, the singers quickly hit the drum once, (out of time) as a signal for the women singers to begin their chorus. This signal beat also clues the dancers to hold their gift a loft for all to see. They are happy that someone thought well of them. At this point the dancers “whoop” if they wish to. The male term is I’yasha to cheer, and female term Chehupahdhda to vibrate their jawtongue (di, di, di, di) in quick succession. The singers usually sing the Wopida Odowan (thank you for a gift song) a minimum of four times or more depending on the mood and number of the dancers.

Wopida Odowan – Thank You Song.

Oyate kinhan kawita deci, cokata wau hay yo.

[When the people gather here, I come to the center].

Hay Dakota wicohan kin tewahinda, ca deci cokata wau hay,hay yo.

[The Dakota customs I cherish, so here in the middle I come].

Wopida Odowan (another version)

Oyate kin he kawita upi, ca cokata wau

[The people they come together, so I come to the center]

Dakota wicohan kin tehinda, ca cokataya wau.

[The Dakota cherish the customs, so I come to the center].

Dakota wicohan kin Tewahinda, ca deciya wau.

[I cherish the Dakota customs, so I come over here].

What does ‘Come to the center’ fully translate? It means that you are coming to the center of the dancing area to show your appreciation for the gift you received. What kind of gift? It could be money (hold it up), a blanket or quilt (hold it up), a basket of items, pick out one of the items (hold it up), in former times it might be a painted stick. This represented a horse (hold up the stick). The gift is held aloft for a few drum beats. Each time the center of the song is reached and the single but quick drum beat is heard – hold it up.

The verse “come to the center” reminds one of the Penny Dance (Mazasha Wacipi). Pennies were collected to support the celebration or whatever the purpose of the gathering. Ben Black Bear and Ronnie Theisz describe the Penny Dance pages 68-69, Round dance pages 84-85, and the Night Dance pages 96-97.

Note: Iwakicipi = Scalp Dance, Self-glorification Dance, the word is now used for the Round Dance. Nasdohan Wacipi = Sdohan = Crawling or creeping along with the feet (Na), Wacipi = Dance. A descriptive term, shuffling along in time to the drum.

Bibliography

Black Bear, Ben, Senior

Theisz, Ronnie Songs and Dances of the Lakota. [Cokatakiya Waci U wo! Come out to the Center and Dance. Aberdeen, SD; North Plains Press 1976

Densmore, Francis Chippewa Music. Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 45. Washington Government printing Office 1910. Pages 6 and 172.

Mason, Bernard S. Dances and Stories of the American Indian. New York: The Ronald Press Co. 1944. Pages 40 and 222-226.

Powers, William K, Here Is Your Hobby: Indian Dancing and Costumes. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. 1966.

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