Conversion to Chicken Dance
(Based on popular styles as of January 2012)
FROM:
Northern Traditional, Grass Dance or
“Old Time Sioux”
Dance clothes items you probably have:
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TO:
Chicken Dance
How to make 'em into keen Chicken Dance clothes!
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Roach
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-Add ‘bouncers’ or a pair of blades
-Neck bustle
-Wear roach centered on head, add a headband
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Choker
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-Keep your choker
-Add beaded tie and collar
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Breastplate
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-Long, bright white bone hairpipes (no antiquing)
-Or Crow Loop Necklace
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Otter Breastplate
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-Keep it whole or split it into two halves and wear in front of your chest. Add details: beadwork, quillwork, fluffs
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Body Covering
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-Replace with matching athletic Shirt & tights or a fabric shirt and tights
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Belt
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-Can be a beaded belt or a concho belt or a tack belt
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Breechclout / Apron Set
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-Replace with new a matching yoke and apron set; add applique designs and fringe
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Knee Bells / Knee Rattles
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-Replace with kneebands: beaded or quilled or fabric with short fringe or ribbon
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Ankle Items
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-Bells
-Goats (dyed, in your color scheme)
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Moccasins
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-All hard-sole mocs are great - beaded or quilled, partially or fully. You can upgrade to Northern flat-stitch beadwork in Blackfoot or Cree designs.
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Armbands
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-Keep quilled, brass or German silver – these can be big! Deer leg armbands are popular, as are flat-stitched beaded armbands (usually part of a matched set.)
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Cuffs
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-All beaded cuffs are great. You can upgrade to Northern flat-stitch beadwork in Blackfoot or Cree designs. You can also use brass or German silver cuffs.
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Things to LOSE
You don’t need these items for Chicken Dance clothes
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Things to ADD
In order of priority, add these to existing outfits for quick conversion
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Pipebags (small bags are okay – for fones & money)
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1. Yoke and Apron set and Body Covering
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Long-johns
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2. Headband with rosettes drops and eye loops or fringe
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Junk Bandoliers
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3. Kneebands
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4. Accents: Fluffs, rosettes, feather clusters, ribbon, mirrors
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5. Beaded Tie and Collar – beaded or cloth applique until you can get a beaded one.
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Things you can RECYCLE
These items can be used in chicken outfits with little to no additional work, keep the style in mind when incorporating old items into a new outfit
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Wing Fans - avoid barred turkey – unless you dye it a strong color. White or black goose wings are great, especially with colored hackle or fluff trim.
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Hoops - hoops of any kind: beaded, sweetgrass or otter fur
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Roaches - longer than 12 inches is desirable
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Cuffs - can be brass or German silver or beaded - look to upgrade to flat-stitch beadwork eventually
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Armbands - beaded, quilled, brass, German silver
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Chest Covering - bone hairpipe breast plate
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Leg Bells - a strap attached at your waist and ankles, currently not attached at the knees
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Bells - big bells on your ankles, smaller bells worn down the length of your legs
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Belts - beaded, as a part of a set, or a concho belt, or a tack belt
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Otter breastplates - either the whole fur with a split in the middle and worn resting on the shoulders, or cut into two parts length-wise and worn in front of the chest
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Bustle Components - existing bustles are a great source of feathers and materials for making a Chicken Dance bustle.
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Moccasins - hard-sole, fully or partially beaded or quilled are great
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Goats – in colors to match the rest of your clothes / color scheme
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Mirror Boards – of the Northern Plains variety
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Converting Other Bustles into Chicken Dance Bustles
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Trailers should match outfit (brighter colors, flashy fabric)
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Add game bird feathers ( pheasant, grouse, chicken) generally as an outer ring
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Bustles should look bouncy, clean and un-cluttered. It’s a relatively small bustle, like a very controlled ‘mess’ bustle, with not too many layers. It shouldn’t look thick or shaggy.
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Lots of dyed feathers – in colors that work well with the rest of your color scheme
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The two spike feathers can be similar to your roach upright feathers - with fluffs and in coloration
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