Tonight I am thinking of regalia. I’m thinking of it because of Minnetoka moccasins.  I wore the Walmart knockoffs all my life. I have a pair now. My grandmother wore them. I’m given to understand my grandmother’s mother wore them. Maybe not, but you never know….  But the hubby and I were looking at the Minnetoka shoe company’s website tonight.

If I bought a pair, I’d buy them for my dance regalia. I don’t get to dance at powwows much anymore because of finances and health, but it’s always good to be prepared. And I’ve always wanted a genuine pair of Minnetoka’s shoes.  Minnetoka doesn’t make shoes that look particularly “Brotherton”, but being as our tribe wore shoes with those horrible pointy upwards toes I’m completely fine with that.

The result is that it would throw the style out of my regalia out of whack. Do I care? No.

My regalia is a reflection of my life journey – as is old tradition – and I’ve built it over time. The result is most of it reflects Southern styles. When I go to powwows wearing it I actually get flak about it and am often berated and treated ill for not wearing regalia that matches the local style. But this is not the way. Each piece I wear is a reflection of my experience and life journey: where I have been, where I am now, and where I am going. Parts change, parts stay the same. It was originally built based on a dream I’d had, so I chose the color white. I’m fat now and have to make new parts. I am thinking the color blue or even camouflage. But my regalia is my own. When you put someone down for their unique regalia, you are putting down their entire life. So I try not to do it. Thoughts done. Moving on.