The Native American dances in the center of the artwork in a feathered headdress, hawks soar, stones and the butterflies surround it all, with their beauty in silence. The ultimate symbol of the beauty in silence and complete transformation is the butterfly, beginning life in one form and changing into a new one. In Christianity the butterfly is symbolic of resurrection. In Asia it symbolizes Longevity and Love. Some tribes in the Native American culture believe that butterflies can take one’s wishes up to the Great Spirit. Capture a butterfly, whisper your wish to it, and release it to the heavens. It is believed that all wishes will be granted in gratitude for the freedom of this delicate creature. Some people believe that the Fancy Shawl Dance, as exhibited in ceremonial Powwows, is believed to have been derived from the ‘butterfly dance’. It is the story of a young butterfly whose mate was killed in battle. After removing her beautiful wings she wrapped herself in a drab cocoon and isolated in her lodge. Family and friends stopped by to console her, but she was wrought with grief. Not wanting to be a burden to her tribe she took her wings and medicine bundle and journeyed far and wide.As she traveled across field and streams, she stepped lightly on each stone, her eyes downcast. It was in this way that she spotted a beautiful stone and her grieving heart was healed. Filled with gratitude for a new life of joy and renewal, she shrugged off the cocoon unwrapped her wings and began to dance a joyful dance.When she arrived back to her tribe she told her People of the journey she took and the healing stone she discovered. In celebration, the People danced to celebrate a new beginning. To this day, the butterfly dance is danced using brightly adorned shawls in The Fancy Shawl Dance.