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PROJECT
Our goal is to take the healing power of the Ojibwe jingle dress to the land, to travel, to dance and capture a series of images to document the spiritual places our ancestors once walked, and to unite and give hope to the world through art, dance and culture to help us heal.
On our first photo shoot, Dion, Erin, JoAnni, Sunni and I learned how to work together. They weren’t models. I wasn’t a portrait photographer. It was awkward, frustrating and new. But, from the moment they started to jingle dance on the land, it all changed.
I cried. I could feel myself healing from the uncertainties of the world––time slowed down. As I listened to the jingles, I knew I was where I was suppose to be. I was doing what I was suppose to do and no matter how difficult this project would be, it needed to be done.
Several months later, the project is bigger than I imagined. The support, the love, and the encouragement from all over the world is inspirational. It motivates us through our trials and difficulties while we travel on our photo shoots. It has been beautiful, emotional, empowering and most importantly, healing. We hope you join us on this spiritual journey,
We hope you join us on our spiritual journey, follow us on INSTAGRAM for updates. We have t-shirts and scarfs available. If you would like to donate see PayPal link below.
Fine arts photographer Eugene Tapahe's idea for "Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project," came to him in a dream. Legend has it the jingle dress dance originated from an Ojibwe man who dreamt of its healing power during the Spanish Flu. Now, Eugene travels across America photographing his daughters and friends in National Parks and Monuments as a way to reclaim Indigenous spaces and bring healing to the world.
PBS: THIS IS UTAH, HEALING WITH ART
BY CHRISTIAN ALLAIRE, VOGUE
In November 2021, Christian Allaire, Ojibwe writer, interviewed and highlighted our project for Vogue magazine. See story and photography HERE.
"While the project offers a sense of healing to Indigenous people who see the dance, it has also evolved to be an opportunity to educate and introduce non-Indigenous people to the artform..."
HOW JINGLE DRESSES ARE BEING USED TO HEAL COMMUNITIES
So far, we have traveled over 25,000 miles! The girls willingly have camped in the cold and rain, have done their homework on their phones, and cold sandwiches and/or meals, have put on their makeup in a moving vehicle, and dressed into their regalia in the wild––to heal the land and people.
OUR TRAVELS
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