{"id":5055,"date":"2019-08-07T11:55:33","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T15:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lammuseum.wfu.edu\/?p=5055"},"modified":"2024-06-26T13:14:31","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T17:14:31","slug":"yupik-dance-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lammuseum.wfu.edu\/2019\/08\/yupik-dance-fans\/","title":{"rendered":"Yup’ik Dance Fans"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Yup'ik
\nThe Yup\u2019ik people of Alaska use hand-held dance fans, called tegumiak<\/em>, to emphasize the graceful motions of dancers\u2019 arms during ceremonial dances.\u00a0 Yup\u2019ik dancing is most commonly performed during the winter ceremony known as Kelek<\/em>, or the Inviting-In Feast.\u00a0 The ceremony, held in the communal men\u2019s house, honors the spirits of game animals and asks them to return to provide nourishment for the community.<\/p>\n

Yup\u2019ik dancing has a very specific structure, in that the dancers do not move their feet.\u00a0 They use their arms and upper body, along with the fans, to illustrate the stories told in song. Women stand, while men kneel or sit in front of them.\u00a0 Drummers and singers appear behind the dancers.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, men\u2019s fans are made of wooden hoops with snowy owl feathers and women\u2019s fans have carved wooden animal or spirit faces surrounded by caribou fur and feathers.\u00a0 In contemporary dance, women use fans of woven grass accented with animal fur.\u00a0 This pair, made by Theresa Smith in Hooper Bay, Alaska, features wolf fur rather than caribou. The soft edges of the fur or feathers on the fans serve as specific purpose, as dancers want to avoid ripping the fabric between realms with their fingernails and letting in evil or bad spirits.\u00a0 If dance fans are not available, dancers will wear gloves for the same reason.<\/p>\n

You can watch a video of Yup\u2019ik dancing here:<\/p>\n