The Buffalo Dance, or Bison Dance, is an annual dance
festival of many North American
Plains Natives, including the
Mandan,
Sioux,
Cheyenne,
Pawnee, and
Omaha, among others. The festival traditionally coincided with the return of the
buffalo herds, and included a feast and a dance with a number of men wearing buffalo and other
animal skins.[1]
As the buffalo, or
bison, was so central to society, it was important to assure the return of the herd and an abundance of food and resources.[2]
A short, 16-second, black-and-white silent 1894 film Buffalo Dance shows people performing the dance. It is notable for being one of the earliest films made featuring Native Americans.
The Buffalo Dance can also refer to section of larger ceremonies and dances, such as the
Sun Dance.[3] In some societies it was also a dance more associated with curing the ill, calling on the spirit of the buffalo.[2]
Wissler, Clark.
"Societies of the Plains Indians". Anthropological papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Volume 11. American Museum of Natural History, 1916. New York.