Native Americans put digital spin on traditions amid virus

Native Americans across the U.S. are organizing online and social-distancing powwows and posting videos of dances as a way to offer hope and spiritual support during the coronavirus pandemic. Over the weekend, jingle dress dancers and singers on the Bad River Reservation in Wisconsin gathered in a casino parking lot and observed social distancing while performing for community members who watched from their cars, Indian Country Today reported. "Jingle dresses are medicine dresses," said Jody Bigboy, a Bad River tribal judge who helped organize the event. Other jingle dress dancers shared videos on social media sites from Montana, Arizona, the Dakotas, Canada and elsewhere. And groups like Social Distance Powwow kept dancers, singers, vendors and others connected on Facebook. Community