| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 36.1

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| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 36.1 | The History Cooperative

*A Dancing People: Powwow Culture on the Southern Plains.* By Clyde Ellis. (Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2003. viii + 232 pp. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $29.95.)
Debates still rage over the modern American Indian powwow: its history, composition, authenticity, whether it stems from real traditions or is devoid of any spiritual significance. Clyde Ellis cuts through this, arguing that we should not be focusing so much on powwows, but more on dance itself. Dancing was, and has remained, an integral part of Southern Plains Indian life, and modern day powwows, from big intertribal competitions to tiny school fundraisers, are both an expression of and a venue for this need to dance.	1
Often overlooked is just how much effort Indian peoples devoted to ceremonial life, and dancing was a major part of it. There were always reasons to dance, and Indian men and women devoted a significant amount of time to it. Dancing was what Indian people did, at least until the 1880s, when the United States government determined to put an end to it.	. . .

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