Wow it has been a while since I uploaded anything! I don't use FA much anymore and that is not likely to change but I figure I could at least upload something pretty recent. This is a recording of a Native drum group I'm in. This song is for grass dancers. The song comes from the group "Big Bear" who are a drum group from the Thunderchild First Nation in Saskatchewan.

The grass dance or Omaha dance is a style of modern Native American men's pow wow dancing originating in the warrior societies on the Northern Great Plains. Unlike most forms of pow wow dancing, the grass dance regalia generally has no feathers besides the occasional roach feather. Instead the regalia consists of brightly colored fringe made of either yarn, broadcloth, or ribbon.

The original creator of the grass dance and the purpose of the dance are widely contested. Sources attribute possible origins to the Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca, Dakota, or Winnebago tribes. While the specific tribe of origin is unknown, it is generally accepted as a Northern Plains dance that was used by warrior societies.

There are several stories behind the origins of the grass dance. One is that a medicine man told a handicapped boy to seek inspiration in the prairie. There he observed the swaying of the grass and received a vision of himself dancing the same style as the grass. When he shared this vision with his village, the use of his legs was returned to him and he performed the first grass dance.

Other origins attribute the grass dance to scouts blessing and flattening the grass for a ceremony, dance, or battle. The dancers would also then tie braided grass into their belts. Tying grass to the belt is believed to have led to the yarn and ribbons common today.

Blessings everyone!