Castanets - The Clique & The Laughter
We’ve been asked why there are cherries or upside-down balloons in the CurioCity Arts brand. Actually, they are castanets, and like most other things in our lives, there is a story behind them.
In Lakota tradition, the Heyoka is often described as a sacred contrarian—a person who moves against the expected order, not for attention, but for truth.
Their role is not performance. It is perspective.
A Heyoka may speak in paradox, act in reverse, or reflect behavior in ways that unsettle. What appears humorous or confusing on the surface often carries a deeper purpose: to reveal what others cannot easily see. Through inversion, they expose assumption. Through disruption, they invite clarity.
The Heyoka is not self-appointed. Within Lakota belief, this path is understood as a calling—one tied to spiritual experience and responsibility. It is approached with humility, not imitation.
To encounter a Heyoka is to be challenged, sometimes uncomfortably, but often with insight that lingers. Their presence reminds us that truth is not always delivered directly—and that wisdom can arrive from unexpected directions.
Rather than becoming defensive at being called a ‘clique,’ we chose to diffuse it—with humor.
It’s hard to stay in a negative place when you’re laughing—
or trying to make castanets actually work.