Words and stories are woven into the very fabric of Seneca culture, expressed through Ë:sgä:nye:’, songs that reflect daily life, nature, and profound teachings. These melodies and lyrics often arise spontaneously, sometimes in dreams, while others are crafted with intention. Like many social dances, Women’s Dance songs incorporate vocables, notably the concluding phrase gai:nawea:h he:ah. However, a significant number of these songs are sung in the Seneca language, offering a deeper layer of meaning and cultural resonance. These songs, though not “Shuffle Dance Songs” in the modern electronic sense, are rhythmically rich and serve as the heart of Seneca social dances, embodying the spirit of movement and community.
The Essence of Ë:sgä:nye:’ Lyrics: Seneca “Shuffle Dance Song” Poetry
Many Seneca lyrics echo the concise beauty of haiku, encapsulating complex ideas or vivid images within a few lines. Seneca song makers masterfully utilize their language’s capacity to convey rich meaning in few words. A striking example is found in an older, anonymous song discussed in relation to Relationship and Reciprocity (table 1). This “shuffle dance song,” in its traditional context, perfectly illustrates the purpose of Earth Songs with the single word deyögwada’nigöëwë:nye:h, meaning “we are stirring our own minds” or “we are occupying our minds.” This encapsulates the introspective and mindful nature of these dance songs.
Table 1. Gëöya’ge:h (Ë:sgä:nye:’), Seneca words with interlinear translation by Bill Crouse, Sr., and John Block
| Yoho:hgëöya’ge:hohdë:jöh | (vocable)in the Sky Worldit’s going on |
|—|—|
| niyögwayo’dëhjögwe’ö:weh | how our ways arethe Real People |
| awë:notgäh de’tši:yo:hdeyögwada’nigöëwë:nye:h | it’s good funand we are stirring our own minds |
| yöëdza’ge:ka:’onëhodiwahdë:jöhgai:nawea:h he:ah | on the Earthnowit is happening(vocables) |
Preserving and Evolving Seneca “Shuffle Dance Songs”
In September 2022, the Allegany Singers shared their insights into Ë:sgä:nye:’ and their significance during a recording session at the Coldspring Longhouse cookhouse (video 3, video 4). They depicted the Allegany Territory as a hub of creativity for generations, where singers would strive to present the most captivating sets of Women’s Dance songs at gatherings. They continue to create new songs while honoring the legacy of their teachers and older, anonymous songs known as “Used-to-Be Songs.” The Allegany community is unique in its tradition of passing the drum to younger men, allowing them to contribute their original songs, fostering a dynamic evolution of their “shuffle dance song” repertoire.
Video 3. Ë:sgä:nye:’, Bill Crouse and the Allegany Singers, Coldspring Cookhouse, Allegany Territory of the Seneca Nation of Indians, September 2022
Video 4. Allegany Singers members Bill Crouse, Sr., John Block, Jake George, and Jacob Dowdy, talk about Ë:sgä:nye:’
In July 2024, Seneca singer and language teacher John Block shared three Ë:sgä:nye:’ songs with Bill and Andrew, explaining their lyrics and the stories behind them (video 5). His selections included a song by Arthur Johnny-John from the 1950s about the Kinzua Dam tragedy (Hauptman 2014, xvii–xxi), an ancient anonymous song about Handsome Lake’s prophecies of the world’s end, and a song John composed for the conclusion of a Sing. For John, each song evoked a wealth of Seneca history, religion, and values. While many Women’s Dance songs are joyful and celebrate life, John’s choices unveiled a deeper, more reflective dimension. The Kinzua Dam Song, for example, captures a community grappling with pre-trauma, with the opening line conveying a sense of violation: “They are abusing us,” or as John suggests, “They are raping us.” These powerful themes highlight the depth and emotional range within Seneca “shuffle dance songs.”
Video 5. John Block sings and tells the stories of three Ë:sgä:nye:’ songs
John’s songs also brought to mind memories of his teachers, their performances, and the stories they shared. He recounted an anecdote about someone singing a song they admired from a Sing, unaware that John himself had composed it (Block 2024). Similarly, Bill recalled singing an Ë:sgä:nye:’ for his teacher, only to discover it was his teacher’s own creation. These stories emphasize the personal and communal connections embedded within these songs.
The final song John shared illustrated the creative interplay with tradition in Women’s Dance songs. For a song intended as a festive recessional at the end of a Sing, he incorporated a portion of a Ga’da:šot song, the centuries-old marching dance that initiates social gatherings. John expressed a preference for older songs and styles, and concern that essential knowledge of these songs is fading as fewer people speak the language. He cited instances of singing groups misinterpreting songs learned phonetically from recordings, lacking understanding of the actual words and their meaning. Despite these challenges, he remains optimistic about the future of Seneca music, acknowledging the enthusiasm of younger generations in adapting Ë:sgä:nye:’ in new and innovative ways, ensuring the continuation of their unique “shuffle dance song” heritage.
Gender Dynamics in Women’s Dance and “Shuffle Dance Song” Performance
In a dance presentation of Ë:sgä:nye:’ by the Indigenous Spirit Dancers in 2024, leader Marty Jimerson, Jr., emphasized the esteemed role of women in Haudenosaunee culture:
In our traditional ways, we hold all our females in high regard. Within the longhouses we have the clan mothers, our title holders. They are the life givers.
He linked the dance to the Creation story, highlighting that women maintain a constant connection to the earth through their movements. Interestingly, although it’s called Women’s Dance, the creation and singing of new “shuffle dance songs” are primarily done by men. Traditional Seneca society, pre-colonization, was structured on gender duality without hierarchy (Hill 2017, 53–78). Men and women had distinct roles, but neither was considered superior. While the Haudenosaunee Confederacy was governed by male chiefs, their authority stemmed from clan mothers who selected and could remove them. Haudenosaunee communities were matrilineal and matrilocal. In the Seneca language, the female pronoun serves as the default for unknown genders. Men were associated with the woods (hunting, warfare), and women with clearings (agriculture, child rearing), but these domains were equally valued. Similarly, women danced Ë:sgä:nye:’, while men sang, emphasizing balance, a core value in Native societies. Ethnomusicologist Ellen Koskoff notes this balance in her analysis of women’s musical roles in ritual (Koskoff 2014, 55):
When we compare the social and ritual position of Iroquois women to their Jewish and Korean counterparts described above, what is most apparent is the acknowledgment in Iroquois society—but not in traditional Judaism or Confucianism—of the value and beneficial power inherent in both the women and their music, a power that is perhaps feaured, but ultimately acknowledged and respected. […] Here, combining the power of women with that of music is not threatening but rather seen as a necessary balance to male ritual activity.
Colonization has brought a complex blend of traditional Haudenosaunee and Euro-American values. Traditionalists maintain gender distinctions in social dance as a vital part of their heritage. Bill Crouse consistently educates audiences about dancers’ regalia, differentiating between genders and explaining cultural significance. He playfully incorporates gender dynamics in his shows, creating friendly competition between male and female smoke dancers, often humorously declaring the women the victors.
Bill Crouse’s daughters, Ashlyn Crouse and Roslyn Dowdy, connected dance to womanhood through their experiences (Crouse and Dowdy 2023). Each dances in regalia crafted by their mother. When asked about traditional gender roles, Ashlyn referenced her grandmother’s traditional views: “It’s just the way it is. My grandma’s old school, so I just don’t do some things but I still support people who do.” They cited lacrosse as an activity they abstain from, as Roslyn stated, “women don’t play lacrosse.”
Preserving gender dualities in cultural presentations doesn’t imply rigid adherence in all aspects of life. All-female singing groups like the Six Nations Women Singers and prominent Haudenosaunee women singers like Sadie Buck and Joanne Shenandoah exist. Haudenosaunee powwows even welcome transgender dancers, demonstrating evolving inclusivity.
However, the Seneca singing world observed is predominantly male. Future studies should strive to amplify women’s voices in Seneca song. These “shuffle dance songs,” deeply rooted in tradition, continue to evolve, reflecting the dynamic spirit of Seneca culture and its enduring legacy of rhythm and movement.
References
[Block 2024] Block, John. 2024. Interview by Andrew Colwell, July 25.
[Crouse and Dowdy 2023] Crouse, Ashlyn, and Roslyn Dowdy. 2023. Interview by Andrew Colwell, September.
[CrouseAshlyn:Interview-2023_09] Crouse, Ashlyn, and Roslyn Dowdy. 2023. Interview by Andrew Colwell, September.
[Hauptman 2014] Hauptman, Laurence M. 2014. Seven Generations of Seneca Leaders: Akwe:sasne and Kahnewake. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.
[Hill 2017] Hill, Richard. 2017. “Clay.” In বইটিhetown Haudenosaunee: An Anthology of Contemporary Writings, edited by Michelle Coupal, 53–78. Toronto: Booktown Press.
[Hill:Clay] Hill, Richard. 2017. “Clay.” In বইটিhetown Haudenosaunee: An Anthology of Contemporary Writings, edited by Michelle Coupal, 53–78. Toronto: Booktown Press.
[Koskoff 2014] Koskoff, Ellen. 2014. “Women’s Music in Cross-Cultural Perspective.” In Music and Gender, 2nd ed., edited by Pirkko Moisala and Beverly Diamond, 49–68. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
[Koskoff:WomenRitual] Koskoff, Ellen. 2014. “Women’s Music in Cross-Cultural Perspective.” In Music and Gender, 2nd ed., edited by Pirkko Moisala and Beverly Diamond, 49–68. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
[Hauptman:Kinzua] Hauptman, Laurence M. 2014. Seven Generations of Seneca Leaders: Akwe:sasne and Kahnewake. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.
