Rainmaking (ritual)

"Rain dance" redirects here. For the song, see Rain Dance (song). For the album, see Rain Dances.

A rain dance being performed in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia
Rain dance, ca. 1920 (from the Potawatomi agency, presumably Prairie Band Potawatomi people)

Rainmaking is a weather modification ritual that attempts to invoke rain. It is based on the belief that humans can influence nature, spirits, or the ancestors who withhold or bring rain.[1]

Among the best known examples of weather modification rituals are North American rain dances, historically performed by many Native American tribes, particularly in the Southwestern United States. Some of these weather modification rituals are still implemented today.[2]

  1. ^ Chirikure, Shadreck; Delius, Peter; Esterhuysen, Amanda; Hall, Simon; Lekgoathi, Sekibakiba; Maulaudzi, Maanda; Neluvhalani, Vele; Ntsoane, Otsile; Pearce, David (1 October 2015). Mapungubwe Reconsidered: A Living Legacy: Exploring Beyond the Rise and Decline of the Mapungubwe State. Real African Publishers Pty Ltd. ISBN 978-1-920655-06-8.
  2. ^ "Rain Dance". Indians.org. American Indian Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 4 September 2011.