There are several different stories of how the Pow-wow was started - some believe that the war dance societies of the Ponca and other Southern Plains tribes originated it, while another school of thought opined that it is the result of tribes like the Omaha Indians being forced onto reservations, after which the government also forced them to have dances for the public to come and see.

Whatever the case is, Pow-wow singers are very important figures in Omaha Indian culture. Without them there would be no dancing. The songs are of many varieties, from religious to war to social. As various tribes gather together, they share their songs, often changing the songs so singers of different tribes could join. Thus, some songs today are sung with no words, yet still hold special meaning to those who know the song. Many songs are still sung in native tongue either newly composed or revivals of old songs. These songs are reminders to the Indian people of their old ways and rich heritage.

In its essence, a Pow-wow is a gathering of Native American tribe or tribes. It stands for a friendly meeting or congress of powerful people within the tribe, to which dignitaries from the ‘outside’ may also be invited.

A typical Omaha Indian Pow-wow features songs and dance, and each session begins with the Grand Entry, during which all the dancers line up by dance style and age and then enter the arena while one of the host drums sings a special song. Following the Grand Entry, a respected member of the community will be invited to give an invocation. This will be followed by a Flag Song, followed by a Victory or Veterans' Song. Besides those for the opening and closing of a Pow-wow session, there will also be intertribal songs, where a drum will sing a song and anyone who wants to can come and dance. With certain variations, the 1983 Omaha Indians Pow-wow at Macy, Nebraska, followed this format and the event was replete with songs of welcome and odes to courage and sacrifice.

The event featured a host of traditional songs and dances peculiar to the Omaha tribes. Ten of the most memorable tracks have been included on the Omaha Indian Music: Omaha Pow-wow Songs CD from A2ZCDS.

Listen to Samples:

To hear a song sample, click on the "Listen ."

TRACK	RUNNING TIME	MP3
1. Wax Cylinder Hethu'shka Song - I	00:01:38	Listen
2. Wax Cylinder Hethu'shka Song - II	00:01:19	Listen
3. Wax Cylinder Hethu'shka Song - III	00:02:03
4. Wax Cylinder Hethu'shka Song - IV	00:01:26
5. Wax Cylinder Hethu'shka Song - V	00:01:09
6. Wax Cylinder Hethu'shka Song - VI	00:01:34
7. Wax Cylinder Hethu'shka Song - VII	00:00:52
8. Wax Cylinder Hethu'shka Song - VIII	00:01:12
9. Wax Cylinder Hethu'shka Song - IX	00:02:15
10. Wax Cylinder Love Song	00:04:14

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EDITORIAL REVIEW:

The town of Macy, Nebraska, lies along the Missouri River, in a trough probably formed by an erstwhile creek. It is surrounded by corn and soy fields, as most of Nebraska is, and it is really not much of a place. Three or four brick government buildings adorn the town square. It is significant that two of these are septagonal - symbolic of the seven tribes of the Omaha Indians. It also features a community college that uses the Omaha language as a medium. The town also has a Tribal Office adjacent to a baseball diamond - this diamond leads to the grounds on which the 1983 Pow-wow of the Omaha Indians was held. The event was well publicized with television coverage, and the songs and dances it featured were recorded for posterity. From interviews taken with the participants later on, a feeling that much had been achieved to introduce these obscure tribes to the modern world was evident. This Pow-wow helped them to regain a sense of identity in a world that has largely left them behind and ignored their culture.

The Pow-wow is an annual event in Omaha - a sort of cultural get-together in which contacts, memories and culture are revived. The 1983 Pow-wow was special because the Omaha Indians were ceremoniously given back a collection of ancient wax cylinder recordings of their songs in accordance with the federal Cylinder Project, a heritage preservation undertaking. The songs featured on these recordings were reproduced in the Pow-wow and continue to be sung in the Omaha Indians’ annual meets to the present day. The ten tracks included on the Omaha Indian Music - Omaha Pow-wow Songs CD are a representation of this event and make for absolutely engrossing listening - mainly because they are audible cultural history that would have been lost forever had Alice Fletcher and Francis La Flesche not taken their timely initiative to preserve it.

CUSTOMER'S REVIEWS:

"There is a definite festive air to these songs, and it is clear that the participants are glad to be there. The presence of ‘palefaces’, far from bothering them, seems to add to their joy. I would have loved to be there (at the 1983 Omaha Indians Pow-wow in Macy, Nebraska) - my family is of Apache descent and I have personally taken part in such events. The Omaha Indian Music - Omaha Pow-wow Songs CD accurately conveys the spirit of a Pow-wow."

Customer's Name: Joseph Whitewater (Peoria, Arizona)