Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Fall 2006
Publication Source
Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore
Abstract
How do Karen people define themselves as Karen? This question has particular import for one community in New York State—the Karen of Utica. The two hundred members of this group affirm their distinctiveness in part by celebrating a day that is special to Karen people worldwide. Since their arrival in Utica in 1999, every January they dance the don dance, a dance created and practiced only by Karen people. This article will discuss the performance of the don dance in another context: in a refugee camp in Southeast Asia, the dance functions to create and reinforce a particular ideal of Karen nationhood.
Inclusive pages
26-32
ISBN/ISSN
1551-7268
Document Version
Published Version
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 by New York Folklore
Publisher
New York Folklore
Volume
32
Issue
3-4
Peer Reviewed
yes
eCommons Citation
MacLachlan, Heather, "The Don Dance: An Expression of Karen Nationalism" (2006). Music Faculty Publications. 34.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/mus_fac_pub/34
Comments
Document is provided for download with the permission of the publisher, consistent with its open-access policy.
Originally published as MacLachlan, Heather. 2006. “The Don Dance: An Expression of Karen Nationalism.” Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore 32 (3/4): 26–32.