Calling Forth the Rain
More on Mandan Agriculture
While George Catlin observed that corn was a primary crop of the Mandan tribe, he was quick to note that it was not their sole source of sustenance. The Mandan also cultivated a variety of other crops which were often blended with buffalo meat to create unique recipes. Catlin personally sampled several dishes which contained squash, turnips (or “pommes blanches”) and generous portions of buffalo meat. Depending on the season, these items were either cooked, boiled, mashed, or fried into any one of a dozen culinary delights. As he experienced these items, Catlin expressed his amazement at the way in which Mandan agriculture thoroughly engrossed the entire community. The health and prosperity of the village was tied to the success or failure of the harvest. With an abundant yield, the Mandan had cause to celebrate with ceremonies and the green corn dance. However, when the insidious hand of drought proved a threat, each villager was required to play a role in the effort to call forth the rain.
As Catlin observed, the Mandan celebrated the harvest with a series of festivals which were underscored by ceremonial dances. It was both a “joyful occasion” and an essential public ritual; both a right and a responsibility. When drought struck and the dry earth threatened destruction for the harvest, community leaders would meet to discuss the gravity of the situation. If it was determined that the drought would not lift before irreparable damage was done to the harvest, a resolution would be made requiring an appeal to the Great Spirit. Once this coarse of action was determined, nothing short of a torrential downpour could postpone its execution. Tribal leaders would forthwith summon the leading medicine men to the council-house to meditate on the most expedient means of bringing an end to the drought.
Bringing with them the tools of their unique practices, the medicine-men would sequester themselves within the council-house and begin their appeal to the Great Spirit. Standing around a large fire, the assembled practitioners would burn wild sage and give voice to their collective invocations. This portion of the ceremony was held behind closed doors. In addition to the assembled practitioners, the ceremony was observed by several young boys who were themselves training to become medicine -men. One by one, an apprentice would be called to stand atop the council-house and provide a focal point for the collective appeals of the medicine men below. This young man would be vested with the awesome responsibility of actually calling forth the rain. At this point, the entire village forms a perimeter around the council-house and focuses their collective energy on the man before them.
Focusing their thoughts and uttering prayers, the villagers will join their energies to the efforts of the medicine men and strengthen the appeal to the Great Spirit. The young man atop the council-house will shout his appeals into the day and night, often shaking a spear or a shield. At sunset, he descends and is replaced by another apprentice the next morning. The objective is to be the one who succeeds in calling forth the rain. He who still stands atop the council-house when the rain does come is lauded for his success. He is no longer an apprentice, as his medicine having proven itself to be effective he is now the Rain Maker.
Mark C Carnes, U.S. History. (New York: MacMillan Library Reference, 1996).
Peter Nabokov, Native American Testimony: A Chronicle of Indian-White Relations From Prophecy to Present. (New York: Penguin Book, 1978).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
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