I had agreed to meet Santee again after school. It wasn’t a regular class day, but she said she’d have a surprise waiting for me. I didn’t know what to expect, so I was a little nervous when I dropped Jen off at her art class and made my way through the community center to the gymnasium. It was quieter than usual in the hallway without the echo of the drumbeats and the pounding of feet keeping time.
I opened the gym door and walked in, glancing across the room. Santee was standing in the middle of the floor, smoothing the feathers of the most incredible regalia I had ever seen. I stopped dead and stared, my mouth falling open. Was that for me?
It was blue and orange. It was beaded and feathered, with moccasins, a headband and cuffs. The shirt and pants and apron were elaborately embroidered and beaded. Every single piece was breathtaking, but the two feather bustles, one to be worn around my neck and one around my waist, with matching bustles for my arms… I could already picture them moving in time to the music. It was an outfit that had to be seen to be believed.
“Is that really for me?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off of it.
Santee laughed. “You bet it is. Want to try it on?”
I was almost afraid to touch it. It looked fierce and delicate at the same time. But I was dying to put it on, and I was even more eager to dance in it. I remembered how the dancers at the Pow Wow looked all dressed up. I thought about Sam in his regalia. They looked like warriors. And I wanted more than anything to be one of them.
“I do…but I’m not sure I know how to get into it,” I confessed sheepishly.
“Just get the pants and shirt on, and I’ll help with the rest,” Santee said.
That much was easy. I changed quickly behind the curtain onstage and stepped out. It fit like a glove so far. I sat on the edge of the stage and pulled the moccasins on.
“How did you know what size I wear?” I asked her.
“Taylor checked your clothes tags for me.” She winked. “Jump down so I can get all of this on you.”
I dropped to the floor and walked over to her. I already felt different. Stronger. I stood tall as she helped me tie on fur anklets and bells. She showed me how to put on the front and back aprons and the beaded side tabs. She dressed me in my belt and cape and tied a harness around my neck, my arms spread out to the side.
My favorite part was the roach. It was a stunning headdress and, according to Santee, was made of deer hair and porcupine guard hair. It was set on something called a rocker, which would do exactly what its name implied. It would make the headdress rock and dance when I moved my head. Santee got the roach ready but put it aside so she could get the bustles on me.
The bustles were circles of feathers. One went on my back and one around my waist. There were two smaller ones for my arms. Once Santee had those in place, she tied on an intricately beaded headband, followed by my roach. She handed me two whip sticks that I gave a practice twirl to, just to see them dance.
Santee stood back and looked me up and down, an expression I took to be pride spreading over her face.
“Perfect. I brought a mirror.” She gestured to where she had a full-length mirror leaning against the wall. “Take a look.”
As I walked toward the mirror, bells jingled lightly and feathers shook around me. I looked at the mirror as I got closer and saw the reflection of a man, a dancer and a warrior walking forward.
“That’s not me,” I said.
Santee walked up behind me and straightened the cuff on my arm. “Yes, it is. You look incredible.”
“I thought it would feel heavy and weigh me down. But it’s light. I feel like…I feel like I can fly,” I told her, meeting her eyes in the mirror.
Santee started the music and sat down against the wall. “Show me,” she told me.
I closed my eyes for a moment and then started to dance. Somehow, with my new regalia on, I could twirl faster, jump higher and hear the music in ways I never had before. I didn’t just fly—I soared. Without giving it a thought, I did a move I had only seen on a TV movie about kids who did capoeira. I jumped down sideways like I was going to do a cartwheel but threw my feet up and held all my weight on one hand for a moment. Santee burst into applause, but I kept dancing. I balanced on one foot, my other knee high in front of me, and spun around and around. First one way on my right foot, then the other way on my left. I tapped my feet and shook my shoulders, making the feathers wave madly around me. I knew this music, so I knew when to stop suddenly, ending the dance with the last drumbeat. I stood still, chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.
Santee was on her feet, cheering wildly. She ran across the room and threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. “That was brilliant!” she told me. “How did you feel?”
“Like a warrior,” I replied.
Santee led me to a chair and handed me a bottle of water, which I gulped gratefully. She started going over her notes and I listened, nodding or adding my own thoughts here and there. I saw the curtain onstage rustle out of the corner of my eye, but I chose to ignore it, figuring someone must have opened the door to the hall for some reason, and continued my conversation with Santee.
It was a decision I was about to regret.