Add colorful beads and bells to your dance stick.
Participate in traditional Native American ceremonies by crafting your own dance stick. Tribes, such as the Cheyenne, perform ceremonial dances, including the Eagle and the Buffalo, to honor the animals and to practice their religion. Dancers wear headdresses, moccasins and costumes while using dance sticks. Dance sticks are rhythm instruments and are also used as traditional medicine sticks. Historically, they were made from natural items, such as branches and antlers. Fabricate your own dance stick with feathers and a locally found branch.
Instructions
1. Collect tree branches between 12 to 20 inches on a nature walk in a local park or in your backyard. Choose a straight stick that's at least 1 inch thick.
2. Cut off any sharp parts or twigs on the branch with a pocketknife. You grip the dance stick with your hand, so it needs to be smooth. Sand the entire branch with sandpaper.
3. Tie the end of the yarn around one end of the branch with a double knot. Hold two colorful feathers at the end of the stick. Wrap the yarn around the bottoms of the feathers to secure. The feather end is the top of the dance stick.
4. Wrap the top third of the branch tightly with the yarn. Repeat the wrapping until the branch has at least two layers of yarn. Tie a double knot and cut off the excess yarn with scissors.
5. Tie a knot at the end of the 12-inch suede cord. Thread two of the jingle bells and the six pony beads. Then thread the remaining two jingle bells. Wrap the suede cord around the stick below the wrapped yarn. Tie a double knot to secure.
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