The Jingle Dress Project

My Friends,
We are excited to announce our new project, “Art Heals: The Jingle Dance Project.” This originated from a dream to unite the beauty of the land and the healing power of the jingle dance during these uncertain times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our goal is to travel the land and capture a series of powerful images to document spiritual places where our ancestors once walked.
The origin of the jingle dance to the Ojibwa people happened during the influenza pandemic of 1918-19, through a father’s dream whose daughter was sick with the virus. His dream revealed the new dress and dance with the power to heal. When the dresses were made, they were given to four women to perform the dance. When the young girl heard the sound of the jingles, she became stronger. By the end of the night she was dancing too.
We too, have four women dancing this sacred dance. There are two strong pairs of Diné (Navajo) sisters, who believe in this project––in so much, they are volunteering their time to make this dream a reality. Erin and Dion Tapahe (my daughters) are Diné (Navajo) from Window Rock, AZ. Sunni and JoAnni Begay are Diné (Navajo) from Pinedale, NM. All are attending college at Brigham Young University (BYU) and Erin recently graduated from BYU. She is pursuing a law degree in human rights. Sunni, Dion and JoAnni are currently at BYU with aspirations to continue their post-graduate education in law and medicine.
They are not professional models but are strong examples of Native American women today. They have given much of their time in service and are sharing their native culture through dance. They have danced all over the world: Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and China. They know the importance of our connection with the land as Native people and were raised to respect the traditions of their ancestors. In the future, they desire to be advocates for Native American people.
This endeavor is a family, grassroots project, and is funded by our personal resources so far. We realize this project is becoming bigger than we envisioned and more expensive than we anticipated. Therefore, we are hoping you can help us make this dream come true.
Ahéhee’ (Thank you!) for your contribution and support!