For people not familiar with this dancing, many questions arise when watching it. QausaŁ̣niq went to Arctic Sivunmun Ilisagvik College Instructor Fannie Akpik to get the answer to some of the more commonly asked questions.  The next time you get a chance to see Eskimo dancing, the following information will give you a much better idea of what it's all about.

Why do people Eskimo Dance? 
They dance for recreation, creative expression, and exercise.  They dance to greet visitors to the community and to entertain one another.

Who makes the songs and why?
Anyone can create a song whenever they feel like singing and dancing.  This might be a special occasion, when something new happens to them, when something strikes them in a certain way or to express their feelings.

Are the drummers always singing songs?
Sometimes they are just chanting.  Sometimes they are singing a song that tells the story of the dance being performed.

What are the songs about?
They are usually about heroic or comic hunting adventures, animal behavior or mythical figures from the past.  So the dance movements depict subsistence activities such as harpooning, stalking, shooting, butchering game,hanging meat or skins and skin sewing.

Do the movements always mean the same thing?
The same movements can mean things depending on the story of the dance being done.  You have to know the story of the dance to understand the meaning of the movements.

Are all the dances that we see new?  
Some are new and some have been passed down through generations.

Do all dances have two parts? 
All dances start slow.  This is the time to get ready to do the dance, then, when the time is right, the fast beat begins.  Each group will have a leader who starts singing the song first.  You have to practice to know the song and beat and sense when the dance will actually start.

What types of dances are there?
Sayuun is dance song containing meaningful words.  Each song has fixed dance movement.  A dancer must know the movements to dance these songs.  This is sometimes referred to as a motion dance.  Atuutipiaq is a song with or without meaningful words where dancers are free to create their own movements. Anyone can dance to these songs.  This is sometimes called an invitational dance.  Taliun is a dance song women and girls dance while sitting on the floor or chairs in a row facing the back of each other.  Like a Sayuun, these songs have fixed arm and hand movements. Kalukaq is an Eskimo dance using a box for a drum.  All the performers must know when and how to perform.  This dance has a special song to go with the performance.  The Kalukaq is also referred to as the Box Drum Dance.  Atuugaurat is a fun dance and somewhat like the Atuutipiaq but with a faster rhythm.

Why do dancers wear gloves?
They wear gloves to show respect to the ancient hunting spirits.

Why do men and women do different movements?
Women move their knees, arms and neck gracefully while men move their feet and arms vigorously.  Men stamp with their feet while women's feet stay on the floor.  No one knows why it is done this way.  It'sjust the way the dance evolved.

What are Eskimo Dance drums made out of?
The drums are made of the membranous linings of whale livers, stomachs, or lungs or caribou stomachs.  They are stretched on a round wooden frame.  Perhaps the most important thing to remember is something Martha Aiken said while narrating a video of Eskimo dances:  "There is never an Eskimo Dance without community involvement."  Eskimo dancing is about coming together as a community and celebrating life.  And maybe that's all most of us ever really need to know about it.

SOURCE:  QausaŁ̣niq, February/March 1994