rain dance
Storm-summoning ceremony
A rain dance is a ceremonial dance performed to invoke rainfall, associated especially with Indigenous peoples of the American Southwest.
The term extends figuratively to any ritualistic or symbolic effort to bring about a desired outcome, often with skepticism implied: The budget meeting felt like a rain dance—everyone going through the motions.
Ceremonial tribal gathering
- chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
- drummingPercussive rhythm-making
- regaliaCeremonial emblems of authority
- headdressOrnamental head covering
feathers · bonfire · cornmeal · kiva · kachina · firelight · procession · invocation
Social group sharing ancestry
- Native AmericanOriginal inhabitants of America
- HopiPueblo people of Arizona
- NavajoSouthwestern indigenous people
- ancestralOf one's forebears
shaman · tradition · folklore · mythology · spiritual · customs · oral tradition · reservation
Formal written appeal
- pleaFormal request or defense
- invocationCalling upon higher authority
- intercessionActing on another's behalf
- beseechingUrgently pleading for something
appeal · devotion · faith · reverence · divine intervention · hope · entreaty · calling upon
Cultivated plants for harvest
- harvestGathering mature crops
- plantingPlacing seeds in earth
- irrigationArtificial water supply for agriculture
- monsoonSeasonal tropical wind pattern
growing season · fertile soil · seedlings · germination · watering · yield · farmland · nourishment
Extremely dry or thirsty
- aridDevoid of water
- desiccationComplete removal of moisture
- cracked earthDried ground with fissures
- dustyCoated with fine particles
barren · scorched · water scarcity · cloudless · desperate · sunbaked · bone-dry · wilted
powwow
Ceremonial tribal gathering
- chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
- drummingPercussive rhythm-making
- regaliaCeremonial emblems of authority
headdress · feathers · bonfire · cornmeal · kiva · kachina · firelight · procession · invocation · offering
tribe
Social group sharing ancestry
- Native AmericanOriginal inhabitants of America
- HopiPueblo people of Arizona
- NavajoSouthwestern indigenous people
ancestral · shaman · tradition · folklore · mythology · spiritual · customs · oral tradition · reservation · Southwest
petition
Formal written appeal
- pleaFormal request or defense
- invocationCalling upon higher authority
- intercessionActing on another's behalf
beseeching · appeal · devotion · faith · reverence · divine intervention · hope · entreaty · calling upon
crops
Cultivated plants for harvest
- harvestGathering mature crops
- plantingPlacing seeds in earth
- irrigationArtificial water supply for agriculture
monsoon · growing season · fertile soil · seedlings · germination · watering · yield · farmland · nourishment · food supply
parched
Extremely dry or thirsty
- aridDevoid of water
- desiccationComplete removal of moisture
- cracked earthDried ground with fissures
dusty · barren · scorched · water scarcity · cloudless · desperate · sunbaked · bone-dry · wilted
- ritual dancescorroboree, barong, dervish, jingle dress, grand entry
- rain ritualsthunder gods, water spirits, cloud seeding, sacred chants, ritual songs
- American folklorePaul Bunyan, tall tales, folk heroes, John Henry, folk narratives
- customscustoms, customs clearance, wedding custom, customs declaration, burial custom
- folk traditionsfolk songs, folk dances, folk tunes, folklore, harvest festivals
- Weather Idiomsunder the weather, when it rains it pours, weather the storm, calm before the storm, every cloud has a silver lining
rain dancesun dance
Plains tribes' sacred rite
dry spell · drought · sun worship · sunshine
rain danceirrigation
Artificial water supply for agriculture
well drilling · dam construction · desalination · aqueduct · reservoir
rain dancemeteorology
Study of atmospheric phenomena
weather forecasting · climate science · cloud seeding · climate modeling · hydrology
rain, dance, dancer, rainfall, rained, rainless, rainmaker, rainmaking, rainmakers