On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we’re sharing Jeremy Thompson’s perspective on how dance and lacrosse connect him to his culture, his upbringing and his ancestors.
Earlier this year, we caught up with Thompson at the Marvin “Joe” Curry Veterans Powwow on the Allegany Territory. It’s an annual contest powwow held at the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino.
Thompson was participating in the festivities as he has for the past few years. He invited Chopper onto the floor during the Intertribal dance near the beginning of the day of competition.
“It’s just something that’s part of our nature, our culture,” Thompson said. “When you get a name in the Longhouse, it’s said that process when they get that name, maybe they become a good dancer, or singer, speaker, or a lacrosse player… In that messaging, when a child says that name, maybe they will carry on those speeches or carry on the melodies that we sing within their songs and their ceremonies… That message is just something that, as a youngster, you don’t really recognize while you learn it. You become aware of it and conscious of it as you grow up.”
“We have these ceremonies all year round where we’re immersed in it,” Thompson continued. “We’re either dancing, bringing food; as you get into your teenage years, you can be picked to sing, and when you get older and learn the language, you sometimes have speeches. For me, movement is medicine; dancing is just a part of our culture.”