Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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

Summary
Jenna daydreams of dancing to the beat of the powwow drum as well as her Grandma Wolfe. In order for Jenna's dress to sing as she dances, she needs four rows of jingles but there isn't enough time to order the materials to make the jingles before the next powwow. Jenna must find another way to make her dress sing. While visiting her Great-aunt Sis, Jenna borrows enough jingles to make a row and agrees to dance for her Aunt, who can no longer dance. Jenna's neighbor, Mrs. Scott will be selling food at the powwow. She gives Jenna enough jingles to make another row and Jenna agrees to dance for her also. Jenna's cousin, Elizabeth, is a lawyer and she must work on a case and will not be able to dance in the powwow. Elizabeth lends Jenna enough jingles to make a row and Jenna agrees to dance for Elizabeth as well. Finally, Jenna asks her grandmother for a row of jingles and Grandma Wolfe agrees. Grandma Wolfe helps Jenna sew her dress and at the powwow, Jenna dances for each of the four women who lent her jingles for her dress.

Analysis
The aspect of the story that struck me the most was the representation of the people in it. We learn in the author's note that Jenna is a member of the Muscogee Nation and lives in Oklahoma. Jenna is Native American but there is no stereotypical treatment of the characters, either in the text or in the illustrations. Jenna and the other women in the story are all drawn with dark hair and a light golden skin tone. The women are not depicted with braids or in buck skins but rather in modern clothes with modern hairstyles. When a woman is wearing a jingle dress and moccasins, the text makes clear that it is for a special occasion and not for everyday dress.

In some stories Native Americans are portrayed as a dying culture with few people left. In others Native Americans are portrayed as stuck in the past, clinging to old ways. While Jenna and her family have Native American traditions like eating fry bread, jingle dancing, and going to powwows, they are not radically different from other families. Jenna and her family live in a modern house complete with a garage, a TV, VCR, carpet, just like everyone else. They don't live in tipis or dress in buck skins. Besides looking modern, the women in the story are modern, complete with modern names. Jenna's Great-aunt Sis lives in a regular house, with a porch. When Jenna visits Mrs. Scott in her brand-new duplex the reader learns that Mrs. Scott has a business. That is why she gives Jenna a row of jingles, because she has to work selling food at the powwow and can't dance. Jenna's cousin Elizabeth is a lawyer who has her own apartment and is depicted dressed in a business suit with a brief case. It is refreshing to see strong, independent, intelligent, Native American women in literature.

According to the author's note, the number four is an important or possibly sacred number to many Native Americans because it symbolizes the four directions, four seasons, and more. The number four comes up repeatedly in the story. "Tink, tink, tink, tink, sang cone-shaped jingles sewn to Grandma Wolfe's dress (Smith 2000)." When Jenna imagines the beat of the powwow drum, it is in four beats. Jenna needs four rows of jingles so her dress can sing. As Jenna visits each person in the story, she heads in a different direction. All four cardinal directions are mentioned in the story. There are also four women in the story who help Jenna get enough jingles for her dress and Jenna dances for each of them. Jenna is one of four dancers at the powwow and she holds four eagle feathers in her hand when she dances. Since the number four is important to Native Americans, the reoccurring theme of four adds significance to the events.

Another cultural marker is the way that time is mentioned in the story. It can be a stereotype that Native American characters in stories are noble savages and speak in a kind of poetry. The figurative language of this story avoids that because it refers to time. The expressions, "Moon kissed the sun goodnight" and "sun fetched morning" are charming and easy to understand. Instead of being offensive the descriptions add flow and interest to the story without interrupting the narrative.

Connections
This book can be used as part of a unit on Native American dances, powwows, or costumes.
This book could be used for a character study of Jenna.
Children could do an author study on Cynthia Leitch Smith.

Review Excerpts
Ginny Gustin in School Library Journal says, "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."

In Library Talk Magazine, Suzanne Johnson says, "Jenna, a young Native American of Muscogee and Ojibway heritage, longs to dance the jingle dance at a powwow.This dance, in which females dance with jingling cones on their dresses, is authentically depicted by Smith, who is herself a member of the Muscogee Nation."

Works Cited
Gustin, Ginny. 2000. "Jingle Dancer." School Library Journal 46, no. 7: 87. Academic Search Complete database. Accessed July 19, 2009.

Johnson, Suanne. 2000. "Jingle Dancer (Book Review)." Library Talk 13, no. 4: 51. Academic Search Complete database. Accessed July 19, 2009.

Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2000. Jingle Dancer. New York: Morrow Junior Books.