To anyone thinking about dancing this is for you. It might feel scary at first. You might wonder if you belong. But if it’s calling you, answer the call. You belong out there. Powwow dancing is powerful. It’s healing. I wanted to dance jingle since I was a little girl. This dress carries prayers. It has helped me through some of the hardest times in my life. You don’t have to contest. Just go to pray. Movement is medicine. Move and dance the way you want to. Create your own style. That’s what it’s all about. You are welcome in the circle. You are needed in the circle. You are meant to be in the circle. #JingleDressHealing #PowwowDancer #MovementIsMedicine #YouBelongHere #AnswerTheCall #PowwowFamily #ToniaJoHall #IndigenousHealing #DanceYourWay #StartWhenYoureReady

Day 5 in Japan 🇯🇵 Our feet are swollen, our wallets are lighter, and our bellies are full of bomb food. We’re still sweating in places we didn’t know could sweat, but we’re loving every minute. The people are kind, the scenery is unreal, and the culture is humbling. We danced, we sang, we tried something new every single day. Wopila tanka Japan for showing us so much love. 2 more days to go let’s do this! One more show at Osaka Expo 2025! #JapanDay5 #ToniaJoHall #JoelWood #PowwowPeopleAbroad #IndigenousAbroad #AuntieGoesGlobal #OsakaAdventures @JoelWood

Egg-citing bites in Osaka 🇯🇵🍳 Not your average egg sandwiches, omelette style, creamy layers, and even cucumber! Watch us rate ‘em Auntie & Uncle style 😋😂 #toniajohall #joelwood #eggventures #OsakaEats

Braiding my own hair 🙌🏽✨ This voiceover is your reminder: if someone braids your hair—BRING A TRADE. Iced coffee, Indian taco, $5, or them beaded earrings. Something! We’re Native—we barter (Smoke Signals). A-y-y-y-e‼️ I started braiding my own hair when my Daughters were little. Now they’re 17 & 18, and now my next goal is to teach my Daughters to braid my hair. So we can trade braids for braids. #toniajohall #nativehumor #auntietips #frenchbraidlife #smokesignalsenergy #braidbarter #beadedtrades #braidstories #nativehairskills

🇯🇵 Japan Day 4 Let’s gooo‼️ Bring on the good food 🍜 Bring on the new expenses 💸 (we didn’t come this far to say no now 😅) We’re ready to perform and showcase some traditional singing and powwow dancing! Osaka, Japan we’re here and we’re bringing the good medicine 💃🏽🎤 #JapanDay4 #OsakaVibes #PowwowInJapan #ToniaJoHall #JoelWood #TraditionTravels #NativeInJapan #JingleDressDancer #GrassDancer #RezAbroad #IndigenousExcellence

Come with us on the subway! 🚇 The Osaka Expo stage is about 20,000 steps away (I don’t know how many miles that is, but it’s tona miles, TONA means a lot in Lakota 😅). We walk one way, hop on tona subways, and then we change and perform! Today, Joel and I are dancing. He’s sharing his beautiful voice, singing songs he composed himself and I get to back him up. I’m so thankful for this experience. I just wanted to show glimpses of where we are and what we’re doing. Japan 🇯🇵 To our family and friends back home, we love you! Thinking of Sapphire and Lahlee every step of the way. I miss you girls 💛 #ToniaJoHall #JoelWood #OsakaExpo2025 #SubwayChronicles #DonaMiles #JingleDressDancer #GrassDancer #RezInJapan #NativeLove #IndigenousExcellence @JoelWood

One of our performances here at the Osaka Expo 2025 🇯🇵✨ I danced jingle while my husband Joel Wood sang and showcased his beautiful voice with songs he composed himself. He even grass danced! We’re so happy to be here sharing our culture, our joy, and our love for who we are as Native people. This is just the beginning, more shows to come! Wopila tanka to everyone back home supporting us. We wanted to bring you along and show you what we’re doing out here 🌎❤️ @JoelWood #ToniaJoHall #JoelWood #OsakaExpo2025 #JingleDressDancer #GrassDancer #NativeLove #IndigenousExcellence

We came all the way to Japan to represent for our oyate. To sing, dance, laugh, and show people a little bit of who we are as Indigenous people. Every time we hit that stage, we prayed the crowd would feel something…love, hope, joy, even curiosity. We wanted them to leave feeling uplifted and inspired. Joel got invited to perform, and he asked me to join him, to sing backup, dance jingle, and just be there as his wife and best friend, holding him down with love and encouragement. We gave it our all every single show. And honestly, every time we got up there, we just tried to send out good energy because you never know what someone’s going through. We came to do what we love, but we also came to connect, to pray, and to remind ourselves that when we stay true to who we are as Indigenous people, good things will keep coming. So if you’re reading this, keep going. Stand tall. Keep being yourself. Wóphila tȟáŋka this whole experience was medicine for us. We’ll never forget it. #expoosaka2025 #joelwood #toniajohall #japan #native #nativetiktok @JoelWood

To all the native kids, aunties, uncles, the bros, and sisters You can go anywhere in the world. I’m telling you pray about it, manifest it, speak it out loud. It works. You’re strong. Your voice is powerful. So is your mind. Believe in what you want to do and don’t stop. The world loves who we are as Native people. Our laughter. Our love. Our stories. Our style. Don’t forget that. You are rich in culture, language, and song. Keep shining. Keep showing up. Keep being you✨ Tokša ake wacinyankapi kte JAPAN Wopila Tanka! #RezInJapan #NativePride #IYKYK #lakota #dakota #hidatsa #ManifestIt #IndigenousExcellence #toniajohall #joelwood @JoelWood

Walking around the Osaka Expo in Japan before our performance and we got to see our chef brother Quintin Globus from Frog Lake, Alberta! He’s Cree, and it was so cool watching him on stage showing everyone how to make bannock even with the help of a translator. Only in Japan and still getting fed some real rez food! We were lucky enough to grab some bannock after his show and hang for a bit. Our humor is one-of-a-kind teasing, laughing, that good medicine. Sending Chef Quintin big good luck and good prayers and mad thanks for the food and the laughter. Wopila tanka! 🪶 #NativeTikTok #Native #IndigenousExcellence #CreeChef #BannockLove #nativehumor #lakota #IndigenousFood #OsakaExpo2025 #NativeInJapan #PowwowLife #IndigenousPride #WopilaTanka #toniajohall

Our last day in Japan getting ready for the airport. What an amazing trip! One I’ll always remember. Thank you, babe, for inviting me to sing and dance alongside you. I can’t even explain the emotions I feel… so much gratitude. I miss our daughters, Lahl and Sapphy. I miss our parents. Our nieces and nephews. All our fam. The cousins. Our good friends. The bros! The sisters! Our dogs Bruce and LC. We are so fortunate to carry our culture with us. I miss powwows. I miss ceremony. It’s only been a week, but it’s a whole different country, cousin! Time to come home to the homelands. 🪶@JoelWood

Dancing in elevators is our new thing! Elevate your mood, one floor at a time. Don’t take life too serious… move your body, laugh a little, and level up.✨ @JoelWood

We checked out Starbucks in Japan and let me tell you… it hits different. 😩☕️ Like, we love Starbucks in the States and Canada but Japan?? Next level. I asked for almond milk in my caramel macchiato and I don’t know what kind of almond they’re using, but it was the best I’ve ever had. I was shook. And the pastries?? They look like the Aunties and Grandmas of Japan baked them with love and a secret recipe. We had a blueberry pie!!! it wasn’t wóžapi, it wasn’t Saskatoon berries, but it was fire. 🔥 10 outta 10. Japan’s food quality is unreal. Even Starbucks feels gourmet. #StarbucksJapan #AlmondMilkSupremacy #ToniaJoHall #JoelWood #PowwowPeopleAbroad #RezStyleEats #AuntieApproved #CoffeeAdventure #JapanEats #NativeInJapan #FoodieAbroad @JoelWood

We went to McDonald’s Japan and it was better than the best! The buns were soft, like Auntie’s! They had a teriyaki chicken sandwich, a hamburger with an egg, and a McChicken with Big Mac sauce. They even had mixed carrots and edamame, or a side salad or fries. Sh*t, we got fries because we miss home! Comfort food. 🍟 @JoelWood #native #McDonaldsJapan #SoftLikeAuntie #ComfortFoodAbroad #FirstTimeInJapan #ToniaJoHall #JoelWood #PowwowPeopleAbroad #FoodieAdventure #RezStyleEats #IndigenousTravelers #TravelLaughs #JapanEats #AuntieApproved