General Discussion Of Shamanistic And Dancing Societies

Plains tribes such as the Pawnee, Sioux, Arapaho, Gros Ventre, Cheyenne had medicine societies that were structured and organized. as was the Omaha Tribe's grass dance. One of the more fundamental concepts of shamanistic cérémonies was the serving of dog flesh. Another important feature was a sex taboo - a requirement of restraint for a varying period before ceremony. History of the grass dance reveals that because of geographical position, the presumption is that the Dakotas passed the ceremony on to most of the other typical Plains tribes, many of whom modified it to suit their own customs. About 1890 the ghost dance was introduced into Plains societies. It since has become conspicuous because of its diffusion among many groups. Flow chart following the course of dances is included.