Family from Red Lake Nation shares culture at Macy’s parade

RED LAKE NATION — Selena Jourdain started jingle dress dancing when she was 3 years old. The jingle dress is a century-old Ojibwe cultural tradition with beginnings in Minnesota. Jourdain shared that tradition with an audience of millions on Thursday, Nov. 27.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade draws a crowd of well over 3 million spectators to the streets of New York City, with more than 10 times that number watching the broadcast.

For Jourdain, this is the second time she’s shared her culture at the parade. She was in the parade in 2013, when she was 12 years old.

This year, she brought attention to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women with her regalia.

“I decided to wear red to honor MMIW,” Jourdain said.

According to Minnesota’s

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office,

Indigenous women and girls made up 10% of missing women in the state in 2024 — far exceeding the one percent population of Indigenous women.

“Most people probably wouldn’t, but I think all the Natives would recognize it,” Jourdain said.

The jingle dress is known for its healing. The sound of the jingle dress beats like rhythmic rain as dancers move to the drum.

Jourdain was joined in the parade by her daughter Ivy Rosebear in a jingle dress made by “mommy’s friend.”

“It’s blue and pink,” the first grader said.

Contributed / Chris Jourdain

Jourdain’s father also participated. Years ago, Chris Jourdain brought his daughter to New York City for her first year in the parade. He says the parade is an opportunity to showcase Indigenous representation to a large audience.

“It is good to see us, as Indigenous people, on the big screen on this holiday, or however we want to frame that. It’s that we’re still here, and we’re thriving and we’re growing,” Chris Jourdain said.

The members of the Jourdain family are part of Native Pride Productions, an Indigenous performance company dedicated to preserving and sharing cultural traditions.

Larry Yazzie is the founder and artistic director of Native Pride Productions. Yazzie started dancing at a young age and went on to become a world champion fancy dancer, an actor, and a cultural educator.

The theme of the performance was showcasing dancers across generations. The news release from Native Pride Productions states “we bring three generations of dancers together to share the beauty, strength, and spirit of American Indian culture with millions across the nation.”

This was the company’s third appearance at the parade, with dancers from several tribal nations across the United States and Canada. “I’m just as thrilled as the first time and the second time,” Yazzie said.

Contributed / Native Pride Productions

For many Indigenous people, Thanksgiving isn’t a day of celebration. Since 1970, National Day of Mourning has been recognized by Indigenous people and allies with a gathering in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the same day as Thanksgiving. The United American Indians of New England organized the commemoration in response to the U.S. holiday, recognizing the centuries of suffering that followed settler contact.

Yazzie says the parade is an opportunity to focus on the mission of Native Pride Productions: education.

“I want the world to know that we still exist, we still are proud people, and historically, the U.S. government has always tried to take away our way of life because they didn’t simply understand. And I want the world to understand our culture, that our culture is beautiful,” Yazzie said.

“We’ve always been here for thousands of years, and that’s our mission — to inspire and motivate and, last but not least, to educate, to educate the world of who we are as Indigenous people.”

Yazzie notes that the time of year has traditionally been one of feasting, gathering and celebration. He wants to continue that tradition.

Yazzie’s spouse, Shawna Yazzie, who managed logistics for Native Pride Productions, said, “Thanksgiving, even though our story is very different than what a lot of times is shown on television or taught, it’s still a time to honor our ancestors that came before us, and a time for gathering and a time for celebration.”

MPR News reporter Chandra Colvin contributed to this reporting.