These many different meanings of dance add to its importance as well as complicate it, even in a non-spiritual setting. Dance is taught and passed down, and is a living tradition. Today, one of the most prominent sites of dance is at powwow gatherings, which have become their own sites of disagreement. In her essay about performance and power at powwows, Ann Axtmann describes these events as “social and spiritual celebrations” that encompass not only dance but “storytelling, comedy skits, Indian rap and country music performances, and Mexican ‘Aztec ‘ dance presentations, alongside rituals such as giveaways, the Eagle ceremony, or the Veterans dance” . As powwows are inter-tribal events, there is a focus on community, and dances augment this. Many of the dances throughout a powwow are open to all participants, creating a more Pan-Indian feeling of spirituality than the dances of the Yup’ik.

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