(Kayas) A long time ago a mother had a daughter who loved her so much she would never leave her mother’s side. The daughter never married and stayed by her mother until she was an old woman. When the Old Woman passed away, the daughter grieved badly and for a long, long, time.
She walked through her long grieving for season after season, and one day, when walking out on the prairie she saw a lone person up on a hill. As she got closer, she saw it was her mother and she began running to clasp her to her. But her mother told her she could not hug or touch her.
She told the daughter that she could not rest until the daughter stopped grieving. The daughter was devastated. The Old woman told her she would teach her a ceremony and songs so she could take it back to the people so they would not have to grieve so hard. She drew pictures in the soft ground that showed people dancing in a circle and told her daughter that, when the people joined in the circle like this, the ancestors would join in the dance with them.
You see, the ancestors always dance. The Northern Lights are said to be the ribbon dresses that flowed as they dance. So this time of year, Winter, is a wonderful time to dance because, with luck, there will be full Northern Lights that will show the ancestors dancing with them.
The girl came back and shared what she had been taught, and the people danced. The green grass of two season will dance with them, as well. The dancing ends when the song ends and the circle is broken.
I have seen tea dances, healing dances done as round dance as well. This is one of my favorite dances, and I danced it many times with Richard, in Maine, in Canada, and many many times I have danced with the ancestors.
©Carol Desjarlais 12.22.22
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