Shawl
date: label: Accession Date
content: 17 Feb 2017
label: Collection Date
content: 30 Jul 2014
name: label: Collector
content: Dr. Candace S. Greene
label: Collector
content: Dr. Michael Jordan
label: Donor Name
content: National Museum of Natural History
notes: label: Notes
content: This dance shawl was donated by Jessica McBride, who had made and worn it. At the time of acquisition in 2014, she was is in the process of disassembling some of her older dance outfits and recycling the trade cloth to make dance clothes for her young daughters. The shawl was made originally in 2002 or 2003 by Ms. McBride and her mother Glenda Kay Paul (both Ponca) working collaboratively, the first contest shawl that she and her mother made. It was part of a turquoise outfit that featured a Ponca skirt made from matching trade cloth. The outfit was made while she was serving as the princess for the Longhorn American Indian Council, a Native American Student organization at the University of Texas at Austin. She first used the shawl at the Denver March Powwow, a large commercial powwow held annually in Denver, Colorado. This style of shawl is often used by women who dance in the cloth or buckskin dress categories in powwow competitions, in which a shawl folded to one-third or one-fourth its width is draped over one forearm. This shawl is approximately one-fourth the width of a full size shawl, and Ms. McBride has heard people call the abbreviated style a “contest shawl” or “half shawl.” She explained that the smaller shawl offered both economy and convenience. Wool broadcloth for a shawl cost $80-90 a yard, and the smaller contest shawl requires less of the expensive broadcloth. It also is easier to get the smaller “shawl” to hang correctly for competition purposes. While contest shawls are popular in the powwow arena, Ms. McBride pointed out that they are not appropriate for all occasions, and she always takes a full size shawl with her when she goes to a dance. For example, she needs a full size shawl to participate in the Gourd Dance, as well as certain Ponca ceremonial dances. Description: Modified dance shawl form stitched to create a "sleeve" for wear over the forearm. Made of turquoise wool broadcloth manufactured by the American Broadcloth company, fringed across the bottom with narrow ribbons of both cloth and iridescent cellophane. Decorated with ribbonwork applique in the form of a fleur de lis, a cross, and a heart, and adorned with rhinestones. This information is an extract from more extended documentation provided by Jessica McBride in a 2014 interview, see attached.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 15 Sep 2020
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Sand Springs, Oklahoma, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Ponca
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 2076808
label: USNM Number
content: E434677-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Dance Garment
physicalDescription: label: Length
content: 85 cm
label: Width
content: 30 cm