How to Perform a Raindance

Rain dances are one of the most famous dances among the Native American culture. The purpose of the rain dance is to invoke the Gods to bless the Earth with much-needed rain showers. The rain dance ritual and ceremony varies from tribe to tribe, and the intricate steps involved in the rain dance vary among tribes as well. However, one common factor amongst all of them is that the rain dance is performed in ceremonial headdress and is danced spinning clockwise. You can perform a simple rain dance once you understand the basic concept and procedure.

Step 1

Locate a large open area outdoors to perform your rain dance.

Step 2

Form your rain chant. Your chant should be rhythmical and easy to say quickly and can be anything as simple as repeating "Rain" over and over again.

Step 3

Raise your hands to the sky and begin to spin in clockwise circles while chanting softly.

Step 4

Spin faster gradually while increasing the volume of your chant, until you are spinning as fast as you can and yelling your chant as loud as you can.

Step 5

Continue dancing and chanting simultaneously as long as you wish before abruptly stopping and dropping to your knees.

Tips

Spin in counterclockwise circles and say your chant backwards to get rid of rain.

Warnings

Never perform a rain dance on a hill, for you could slip from the hill and hurt yourself; plus, it is traditionally considered bad luck by the Indians.