There is a lot to learn from their art, poetry, music and dance. The telling of stories lies at the very heart of each of their art forms and is the essence of their culture. It is their way of preserving tribal culture - elders endlessly repeat stories in various forms in order to bulwark the Omaha Indian culture against the erosive and diluting effects of Time.

American Indian music is richly diverse, and integral to Omaha Indian life. It is used for a vast range of purposes, but primarily to preserve and perpetuate their culture and give expression to their own, unique sense of identity. In the Omaha Indians Music series from A2ZCDS you will encounter the historic music recordings made during the Omaha harvest celebration powwow of 1983 and the Hethu’shka Society concert of 1985 - representative of the antique recordings made by Francis La Flesche, the son of an Omaha chief and the 19th century historian, Alice Fletcher.

For the 1983 Omaha Indians powwow in Macy, Nebraska, a decision was made to focus solely on traditional Omaha music and to include only those songs that were sung by time-honored representatives of the Omaha drums - the Host Drum and the Tai Piah Singers. This was essential, it was found, so as to preserve the traditional sanctity of the event. The spirit of the occasion was not to be diluted with ‘secular’ items and participants.

Very few Omaha Indian events are complete without speeches, songs and dance, and this powwow was no different. Contest songs varied in tempo from the sedate to the fast-paced. As you experience the 18 contest songs included in this collection, you will encounter songs that accompanied:

• The Clown contests: These were apparently not meant in a serious vein, and had obviously been included for their entertainment value. The clown’s contest was to be judged by the audience.
• The Children’s contests: These focused mainly on costumes.
• The Men’s contests, in which traditional dancers imitated the motions of warriors tracking the enemy.