apache devil dance
- noun
:
danza del diablo apache
- The apache devil dance was performed during the festival to honor ancestral spirits.
Examples
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Spectators watched in awe as members reenacted the traditional apache devil dance at the heritage event.
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Anthropologists have studied the apache devil dance to understand its cultural significance among the Apache.
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The apache devil dance is a vital part of their culture.
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During the festival, the community performed the apache devil dance.
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Anthropologists have studied the apache devil dance to understand its cultural significance among the Apache.
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Spectators watched in awe as members reenacted the traditional apache devil dance at the heritage event.
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The apache devil dance was performed during the festival to honor ancestral spirits.
Synonyms
1
5.8
A dance performed during a religious or traditional ceremony
1
4.2
A dance done during a religious or ritual ceremony to show respect
A dance done during religious or ceremonial events like weddings and funerals
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally transparent: 'Apache' specifies the people, 'devil' suggests a supernatural/ritual figure, and 'dance' names the activity, so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer it denotes a dance by Apache people involving a devil figure or ritual. Cultural specifics about the role or meaning of the 'devil' in Apache tradition may require background knowledge, but the basic referent is directly derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Apache devil dance may come from early outsiders who saw Apache people wearing fierce masks and moving like spirits, so they called the event a devil dance. That's why today apache devil dance means 'a ceremonial dance to honor ancestral spirits'.