Unbroken: Indigenous Peoples Today

Native Regalia Dance Bells

Lakota traditional dancer, Nick Ohitika Najin, holds a set of handmade dance bells which he usually wears around his ankles during pow wow performances. These bells can weigh up to ten pounds per set and are used to help dancers match the tempo of the drums as well as practice significant ceremonial customs.


"When we first heard bells we had no idea what they were, but they scared us so much that we ran. That's why we wear them now because we use them to scare off spirits, we use them to ward off enemies. To let them know that we're here."


"There's so many ways you can use a bell. In Northern traditional dancing you'll see people do a sneak up song and crouch like they're trying to sneak onto an enemy. And every once in a while they'll shake their bell but then they'll stop. It's because you're taunting that person and you're trying to say 'Hey I'm over here, but then I'm not here.' And then there's other songs where you're just straight out jamming and you're trying to make these as loud as you can because you're trying to ward off the spirits. You're trying to chase off the negative energy around and bring the positivity back to the circle."

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