The Last Word

Painting by Earnest Spybuck: The Pumpkin Dance

Editor's note: As we continue to print paintings by Earnest Spybuck, the reader should know that the paintings were named, categorized and described, not by the artist, but by anthropologist, M.R. Harrington.

Pumpkin Dance -- Part of Bread Dance, ca. 1910

Several different dances are actually performed during a Bread Dance ceremony. Some are danced by men, some by women, and some by both sexes together. Of all these, the most popular is the Pumpkin Dance.

It is an energetic dance for men and women who dance in two lines around bread and other food as they chant in response to the singers' calls.

The Shawnee feel that in order for a dance to be successful, and a blessing obtained, spirited singing and dancing are necessary. If the performance is good enough, "Our Grandmother" the principal Shawnee deity of Spybuck's time, will come to earth to join in as a sign of her pleasure, and an extra voice will be heard in the trees.