Citation:
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2000. Jingle Dancer. Ill. by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu. New York: Morrow Junior.
ISBN 9780688162412
Summary:
Jenna
longs to jingle dance in the next powwow, but does not have enough jingles to
make her dress “sing”. She ventures to nearby relatives hoping to collect
enough jingles for her and Grandma Wolfe to sew on her dress in time for the
powwow.
Critical Analysis:
Cynthia
Leitich Smith’s first book is a delightful account of a young Native American
girl of Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Ojibway (Chippewa/Anishinabe) decent who is
determined to carry on a family tradition. The relationship between Grandma
Wolfe and Jenna is endearing and highlights the importance of family and
heritage. Jenna’s determination to dance like her grandmother is touching and
the fact that she is willing to dance for those who are unable to do so is
encouraging. The contemporary story blends with Native American culture
flawlessly by depicting a modern girl carrying on traditional customs. Personification
is a predominate literary device used in the story, for example, the
relationship between the Sun and Moon (Ex. “As Moon kissed Sun good night…”).
Author Cynthia Leitich Smith includes a helpful Author’s Note which adds to the authenticity of the story immensely.
The fact that Smith is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, gives an
authoritative touch to the story and her additional history on the custom of jungle
dancing is very interesting. The Glossary included is helpful, which includes
terms found in the story such as regalia, powwow, and fry bread, a traditional
Native American food.
The
vibrant watercolors provided by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Wha Hu are
impressive and do a fabulous job portraying contemporary Native American life.
Hair and skin color are reflective of the culture, while dress and hair styles
remain true to modern day living. For example, Cousin Elizabeth is a lawyer and
is painted with a business suit, brief case and newspaper under one arm. Contemporary setting and dress are predominate
while traditional Native American dress is subtly highlighted from beginning to
end. The Illustrations of the jingle dancing regalia are detailed and accurate,
working well with Smith’s description of traditional jingle dancer attire in
her Author’s Note. The illustrations
work well with the text and effectively blend a contemporary setting with
Native American tradition.
Review Excerpt(s):
“The author is deliberately showing us,
it would seem, that all Native Americans are not poor or live on rundown
reservations. A useful portrayal of an important cultural event in a Creek
girl's year.”
~ Kirkus, April, 2000
“There are lyrical turns of phrase in
this picture book about a contemporary Mucogee/Ojibway child who achieves her
dream with love and support from her elders. Jenna, her family, and friends all
embrace cultural traditions while living contemporary lives, as the full-page
watercolor illustrations emphasize”
~CCBC, 2001
Connections:
Ancona, George. 1993. Powwow. San Diego:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich ISBN 9780152632694
Smith,
Cynthia Leitich. 2002. Indian Shoes. New York: Harper Collins ISBN 9780060295325
Classroom
Activity: View authentic jingle dances on YouTube with students. Here are a
couple of examples:
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