The third annual stomp dance of the Miami Tribe was held on Jan. 31. The dances were started by a song leader who set the tempo for the particular dance. The leader came from a select group of individuals who know all the traditional dances. The shakers took their cue from the leader and the others joined in and followed him. Soon all were following the leader in this tribal ritual.
Shakers are women, who wore gravel-filled cans around their ankles.
They provided the only instrumentation and the beat. The other dancers followed in a spiral formation. Some women carried small children in their arms. Annika Jenings, a Miami student and Miami Indian, was able to experience a stomp dance for the first time. The songs often contain words in the Miami language.