Why a Hula Hoop is Different than a Native American Hoop

Differentiating between a Hula Hoop and a Native American Hoop

Conversations on cultural appropriation require patience, humility, and honest self-reflection. It can be hard, but it shouldn’t stop us from moving forward. Teachers can turn their doubts and confusion into better instruction and learning opportunities.

A Story from the Classroom

A wonderful teacher in our community recently told us of her experience teaching one of our Native American hoop dance lessons to her students. 

She followed the plan to the tee. She was confident the information and instruction would honor Native voices knowing the lesson plan was prepared from information collected from dozens of Native American hoop dancers. She knew teaching Native American Hoop Dance to students would be inappropriate and that the purpose was to understand rather than replicate an art form. However, after teaching the lesson, students came in from recess excited to share with her the dances they had created with hula hoops and she worried where she went wrong.

Well, she didn’t go wrong. Children are children, and in the elementary school setting, her students behaved in a developmentally appropriate and expected way that demonstrates curiosity, vitality, and imagination!

Hoop or Hula Hoop?

We have taken great care to not use hula hoops in our lesson plans because they are not the same hoops used in the Native American Hoop Dance. Hoop Dance is a sacred dance reserved for Native Americans and is not to be performed or replicated by individuals outside Native groups. Using a hula hoop to replicate or mimic Native American hoop dancing downplays and minimizes the importance and sacred nature of this art form.

But can you stop children from making dances with hula hoops? Can you stop children from trying to replicate an artform they just learned about, observed, and admired? Should you?

This teacher didn't need to stop the children from making dances with hula hoops. She can take the opportunity to provide students with deeper cultural information, and—at an age-appropriate level—point out how students' creative choices with the hula hoops are similar and different from Native American Hoop Dance. (This scenario looks different with middle school or high school students.)

Assume Goodwill

These types of questions frequently and consistently inform our dialogue within the Native American Curriculum Initiative. The teachers who engage with us are brave, reflective, humble, and empathetic. There are no easy answers (and in reality, a spectrum of answers exists), but here are things we do know.

• Children need time to play—free of judgment.
• Arts of all kinds will inspire children to create and play.
• Children take inspiration from their experiences in the classroom.
• Children always benefit when teachers assume their goodwill.
• Children and adults need more information about hoop dancing in order to understand and empathize with the problematic use of hula hoops to teach about hoop dancing.
• Children shouldn’t be told that they are wrong or insensitive, but they can be told that their actions are insensitive.
• Children can be given prompts to follow their inspiration in culturally sensitive ways.
  • “What story would you like to tell?”
  • “How would you tell a story about the eagle’s life?”
  • “What materials could you use to represent the animals in your area?”

Native American Hoop Dance Resources

You can listen to more about the nature, significance, and place of Native American hoop dance on our podcast. In Episode 22, “Native American Hoop Dance” Jamie Kalama Wood (Former Director of BYU Living Legends), Kelina Anderson (Living Legends dancer, Squamish Tribe), and Emily Soderborg (NACI Project Manager and Lesson Plan Designer) discuss the importance of hoops, the storytelling aspect of the art form, and the significance of these stories and dances in their lives.

You can also find more information and resources in our Native American Hoop Dance lesson plans:

• Storytelling Through Hoop Dance: Learn about the storytelling aspect of the Native American Hoop Dance, create and perform a musical soundscape, write a three-sentence narrative by focusing on story structure.
• From Eaglet to Eagle: A Hoop Dance Story: through dance, explore what an eagle sees and experiences as it goes through its life cycle, and understand how the story of the eagle can be seen in Native American Hoop Dance.
• "Shape" Perspective Through the Hoop Dance: Explore information and show respect for the Hoop Dance, look at shapes in abstract art and create art with pattern blocks, print shapes with paint to tell a story, and demonstrate respect for others while sharing personal artwork in groups.

Keep Moving Forward

These conversations and experiences can leave reflective teachers with doubt or confusion. In these moments, we encourage teachers to push forward with new information and a continued desire to improve their future teaching. Teachers shouldn’t be afraid of cultural appropriation or these types of questions; instead, teachers can view questions as the impetus for teaching with more sensitivity in the future.