“The man dancing is paying homage to  his beloved horse who has passed away.  After the horse passed (I’m not sure how the horse died), the man created his dance regalia to honor the horse and he also dances wearing the regalia to honor his horse at ceremonies and pow wows.  The tail on the back of his regalia is the actual horse’s tail. The regalia itself can be seen at All My Relations Arts, so the docent can encourage visitors to go there to see the outfit.

This exhibition is in 3 places, ours display is up the longest, but it is also at All My Relations and Two Rivers.

This is part of a train of thought that is specific to many Native tribes.  When you wear something you are imbued with the characteristics of the person who wore the item before you or the animal that is represented.  It is possible that the man is taking on some of the characteristics of his horse, although I haven’t spoken to that artist so this may not be definite for his regalia.  However, it is possible.

Also, it shows how we believe that all living beings are gifts not commodities.  They are people (nations) with their own agency, their own purposes, and they teach us and provide for us out of pity for our inabilities.  None of us can survive without the animals we rely on.  Horses were a great gift for us for friendship, for battle, for hunting.  They were allies.  This man is dancing to honor his horse because of all of these things.”