Dream dances of the Kashia Pomo

Yeah. Money. Hey. Hey, hey, yeah. On we believe dancing is delightful to Yabe, our creator and our songs are prayers to him. For centuries. Tribal dancing and singing have remained a pre eminent form of religious expression among the Indians of

North America. In north central California, aboriginal religions declined under pressure from white contact. During the 18 seventies, the influence of new native religions began to replace the declining beliefs and rituals of the old society. These transitional native cults in the 18 seventies were strongly influential in

altering the indigenous religions into contemporary rituals resulting in the Boma or Dream religion. The southwestern Pomo occasionally build brush enclosures during spring and summer months in which to dance. The Boli Maru retaining vestiges of the ancient ceremonial system. Boboli Maru is a blend of the ancient

Kuku or God Impersonating society, transitional native cults and Christianity. This religion began to develop late in the last century, stimulated by the 18 70 ghost dance movement from Nevada and the California Earth Lodge cult of 18 72 where men failed to retain leadership in religious activities.

The women assumed control. Special dances were even developed and danced only by them today. Nearly a century later, the women of the southwestern Pomo dance, the Boli Maru as an expression of their contemporary beliefs. The form and details of each dance are controlled by the local

dreamer or prophet. Our first dance is called or the hand power dance. All of our dances begin with what we call sitting down songs. The singers use spits, stick rattles or clappers and the dancers use read whistles. Hey, hey, I, I,

oh, I hate, I hate, oh, oh, will hope. Oh, the white dresses stand for purity. Only the dreamer and the women who assist me are allowed to wear them. The women also wear colored ribbons tied to their fingers. It is the colors that make

the ribbons valuable, like the rich coloring of our feathered baskets and magnetite beads. The movements of the dancers hands with their colored ribbons are very important. These movements represent the power of the dreamer's right hand. It is this power which locates and draws out pain in

doctoring. Oh, I, oh, oh, you, oh, no. Oh. Oh, I, I, I,

oh, oh, each pole Maru dance ends with a short ceremony called. Mhm. Mm. Mhm. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Mhm. Even though Boli Maru absorbed some elements of Christianity, it never lost its cultural identity with indigenous pomo religion. Christian concepts provided a renewed supernatural sanction for native practices

by accepting recent influences. A new purpose was given to ancient ritual during World War II. The dreamer among the southwestern Pomo had a revelation of a new dance. The Kamo Coo or Star Hoop dance is a protective dance performed by mothers to safeguard their sons going

into the service to hope. Uh mhm Following the sitting down song, each mother dances with a star. I, you, you, you, you, you, you oh oh iiii. I, hey, hey, hey, yeah. During the war for each of our young men, the family held a

defeat, followed by dancing for one night. The dance was repeated at various times during his absence, the one family who failed to dance lost their son in the war. All the young men fully protected by the dance returned safely. The ceremony was repeated on his safe

return for a number of years after the war. The soldier's family continued this celebration on his birthday. Hello so far. Yeah. Hello. Are you? I am. Oh, yeah. Oh I, you OK.

Ok. Hello. Today we danced commoli for the protection of the people against all evil forces of man or nature. Oh, the dance would end with the bole is a pawn word for spirit. The poma word for dreamer is

Maru. The Boli Maru religion is under the leadership of dreamers or prophets who communicate in dreams or trances with the spirit world and with a great creator. Through these revelations, each local dreamer receives her supernatural authority. My room means to dream something Indians always dreamed. But

our Maru is new the creator gives the dreams to the Maru dreamers. I am a, a prop of the creator. And when he places a yon upon this earth to be a witness for him and to represent him, he places within that yon all the mysteries

of life. Every little thing is recorded within me. And I could know all things. If I take time to search what is within me, someday, the whole world will know about me. And the tradition of my people. Dreamers have to do everything their dreams tell them

they don't rest well at night, they stay awake most of the time until they have done all that their dreams directed. Then they feel relieved. The creator said you have to dance. Give a big feast and tell the people about your dreams is the attendant or

dance. You, you let let me banners applicate with dream designs, express our religious beliefs. And yeah, the dreamer chooses certain women to act as dancers and attendants during the community feast which follows our Maru ceremonies. Oh, you I I right go go.

Oh, we have no writing no education like the white people. Because of that. The creator sends dreamers and profits. We are the keepers of the Indian customs. 00 II I, you go. The dreamer gives each attendant the responsibility of keeping the pattern of one religious article

on her cross banner. The article itself may be made of shell or wood or some other material. Mhm. If the article becomes lost or destroyed, its pattern is preserved in the designs on the banner. Yes, I, yeah. 00, oh. Oh, I, I, you

her, you, oh, so, oh. Mm, bye. Oh. After the dances we will sit down and be served by these attendants, the dancing will have made them ready for their work at the feast. An important feature of the Bole Maru is

the terminating feast, which is a community endeavor similar to the terminal feast of older ceremonies among the Southwestern Pomo and some other groups. This feast grew into an elaborate ritual expressed through ceremony and dance. Since the forms and details of the ceremonies derive from new dreams,

the songs paraphernalia and even the rituals themselves are constantly changing and reflect current cultural influences. The dreamer directs the making of all regalia, the prophets after talking with the creator for many hours in their dreams, then sow designs on cloth, the design guides the people and

takes them along the right path. After putting the designs on the clothes, they must dance in them to get protection. The dance by a is the marriage dance. Hello, four dancers were clothes decorated with dream designs and shell ornaments. I know. I know. Oh, yeah, you

I am believe me, no identical jackets were worn by the man and wife. We believe that if they were married in them, they would be married in the afterlife. I I know. Oh, I I, I, the name Kimberly. Oh,

hey, hey, I, I am I, I, I'm not, this dance was formerly performed only at our marriage ceremonies, but now it is danced at other times. So the costumes will keep their power. I the long flaring dresses characteristic of the

Bole Maru are patterned after the rural American frontier dress. Although these garments are not aboriginal, many of the decorations, abalone pendants, clams, shelled beads, and also the headdresses are of native origin. The patterns and colors used by a dreamer on her costumes are usually repeated on

her flags. These cross shaped flags have dream designs of stars and stripes borrowed from the American flag. The use of the cross pattern was based on Christian prototypes. The last dance is one, the war flag down. Oh, every dancer holds a flag with its dream designs.

Each flag belongs to a man who served in World War Two. Like the star hoop dance. This is also a protection dance. Um, oh, the father, as well as the mother might dance with the flags to

protect their sons while they were away at war. Yeah. Oh. Oh, no, no. Well, yes, no. Oh, no. 00, no. Oh, no. Wow. Yeah. The a, yeah. Oh. And I, and I tell you, you, you, you, yes. Oh, the

power of the flags takes the dancers over and moves them through the dance. Yeah. No. Oh, you, 00000. Oh. During the last part of the dance I, the dreamer joined the dancers

and circle the fire with my hand. I cast out all evil and destructive forces in the world and ask Yabe our creator to protect my people. You, oh, the you. Oh. Mm. Yeah. Mm.

After the, of the last dance, a final song ends the Bole Maru dances. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh. Uh Yeah. Uh Hang on a second. OK. Oh. Every dreamer has different songs and flags. The flags were new

with Maru. If there is a flag flying in front of the dance house, it shows there is to be a Maru dance and not an old fashioned kind like the Kuku. Long ago. The people were very faithful. I speak of our ancestors no matter how long

and how far they had to travel. They were there for the dances, regardless of rain, storm and snow. They were told by the dreamers and they obeyed and believed to be good to help one another and to love your neighbor, not to drink and do all

manner of evil. Let us remember and think how we were so proud how my daughter here. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, how are you? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Hey. Hey, hey.