WACI! DANCE!

A Native mother and child experience the thrill of a powwow.

“On the morning of a hot summer day, / you heard the powwow drums over the hill.” The parent and child journey until they reach the site of the powwow. The mother unwraps the child from a cradle board, and the two participate in the sacred community ceremony. Infused with Indigenous joy, the narrative combines stylized text told from the perspective of the mother addressing her child, Lakota words, and vivid images. Cultural touchstones, including ribbon skirts and beaded hapans (moccasins), are lovingly depicted in Dorion’s swirling, boldly colored art. When the child dons powwow regalia, the mother exclaims, “Lila wašté!” (Lakota for “very good/very proud,” according to a helpful glossary). Relatively spare narration allows young readers to follow the fanciful images and repeating onomatopoeia as this Native family begins to waci—dancing and celebrating life “for our loved ones and relatives.” Though this emotive tale will resonate most with children familiar with the atmosphere of a powwow, young people of all backgrounds will appreciate it. In an author’s note, Speidel (Lakota/Cree) calls the story “a celebration of my Lakota culture,” while in an illustrator’s note, Dorion says that she “combined Lakota patterns…with design elements from my own Métis culture.”

An exuberantly illustrated tribute to the powwow tradition of waci.