Dancer Hall of Fame - february 2006
Kellie Mae Chaboyea-Downwind
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"Hi, I’m Kellie Mae Chaboyea (my mother’s name) Downwind (my father’s name). I’m named after my grandmother Ida Mae. The name carries on with my Auntie Shelda Mae and my daughter Isabella Ida Mae Chaboyea. My first name comes from my Irish side. I’m a member of the Red Lake Nation."
"Everything I do in life is around my dancing or storytelling. What I want to do is to have like a felt board where you can put characters or sticky things and move them around and tell stories, I’d love to teach children."
"My oldest daughter is 16. She dances traditional and my baby is five and she dances jingle. I make all my outfits because my aunties, Muriel Dickenson and Tweety (Kim) Dickenson taught me. I believe arts are natural for Native Americans. I’m lucky to be able to have this and I love the dances and the beauty of the people. Both of my daughters have been dancing since they were born. They can dance whatever way want. But they have it in their blood to dance jingle."
"My first powwow was all my life. But I remember 1973 in Red Lake (MN, USA). My aunties, Kim and Muriel, were fancy dancers. But I didn’t want to dance fancy. I wanted to dance Northern Traditional because of the elegance and beauty of the dance. There were elder ladies that impressed me. They were the Anderson sisters. They danced Northern Traditional and Northern Cloth; along with, Verna Kingbird, Florence Seaboy, Alice Red Elk, Beverly Larvey, and Gina One Star. I wanted to be just like them. "
"Butch Ironshield is my elder and advisor. He told me if you live your life in a certain way, your prayers will be answered. He drew it on the ground. It included: Knowledge, humility, generosity, and courage. The ceremonies keep me alive and to live the right way. I would like to go to as many ceremonies as I can."
"Every year I go to the Thanksgiving Powwow at the Minneapolis American Indian Center (Minnesota, USA) and to their New Year’s Powwow. I also go to Prairie Island, (Minnesota, USA),Shakopee, (Minnesota,USA)and Hinckley in Minnesota (USA). When I was little there were different places, like old times, little reserves around Canada, Kenora, Mount McKay, and Thunder Bay (Ontario, CA). LCO (Lac Courte Orielle) in Wisconsin (USA) and all over there, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana (USA). When I was ten I quit dancing, because my aunties quit. Then I fell in love with a little Sioux boy and I hit the road dancing again." |
"I go to both Traditional and Competition powwows. I have to run to keep in shape. The main part are my prayers. I believe in the Creator, Gitchmanitu (spelling), the great mystery. It’s tough when you dance and wear all that gear, especially in the heat. There are two songs when I dance, where I have to look my best and do my best. It’s like the Indian Olympics. At night, I’ll sleep right on the ground. I’m from the city; but, the only time I get to be Indian is when I dance." Kelly says, this is her time to carry on her tradition.
"From last March until November, I went somewhere every weekend, from Hartford, Connecticut to Tacoma, Washington. Something that stuck in my mind was they had hand harvested salmon, jelly, and fry bread. The salmon was 'Holy Smokes!' Those Indian people know how to harvest their salmon."
"We travel all over. We went to California and we were gone for a month and a half. I wanted to put my feet in the ocean. We go what ever way the wind goes. But we wanted to come back when the trees changed. We wanted to go around and check out everyone else’s culture and to hear their stories. Everyone’s tribe is unique. They are so beautiful. I’m dancing for the beauty of everything, the beauty of everyone. Another experience which impressed me was Post Falls, Idaho. The horses were brought in and were honored. This made me cry, what an experience. I went to Chief Joseph’s land and this guy started talking to me at the smoke shop."
When I asked what her favorite pow wow was, Kelly said, “There couldn’t just be one.” She has also enjoyed dancing at Aspen, Colorado and the Smithsonian. Kelly’s favorite dance is the round dance. Kelly couldn’t tell me her favorite drum group because she loves them all. But, she says she loves her neighborhood, the Phillips Neighborhood in South Minneapolis (Minnesota, USA). "I’ll still support Phillips. I like this neighborhood because you are treated equal. I went to Wahpeton and came back. I was born and raised in South Minneapolis because of my grandpa and grandma, Frank and Ida Dickenson. Smack dab in the city and was raised traditional ways. We all get sidetracked and the opportunities are endless in the city."
"Midnight Express and the Boyz are my familiar drums because we all grew up together. Even though we are urban Indians, from the Phillips neighborhood, we all stuck to our traditional ways. We all stuck together. I knew them all since we were little bitty babies."
"At home, we play pow wow. First thing in the morning, the girls put on their jingle dresses and make me feel good. I’m trying to run a household and everything is good. Family values are important. I am an artist and I bead and what I want to do is teach our children how to make Indian outfits. You need shoes everyday in life so you need moccasins to start out. We will have our foundation so we can rock and roll. I have a lot of ideas I want to share and you guys [Indigenous Internet Chamber of Commerce] showed up to help me make my ideas come alive. I don’t sell my beadwork, I keep the beadwork for my family. But, I do want to teach people, especially children, how to do it. I would like to learn Indian legends and stories and go to schools and teach children."
Thank you Kelly for sharing your story!
By Sophia J. Jacobson, Ed.S.
February 12, 2006
We honor Powwow Dancers because they wear the colors and traditional regalia of their respective Indigenous Tribe or Nation, and they represent the beautiful, graceful, and enduring spirit of our Indigenous Peoples.
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