Rain Dance Scheduled
The Valley is very dry right now. Many older Valleyans have said this is the driest The Valley has ever been. Valley farmers are hurting and it looks like there is no relief in sight. The Valley Farmer Consortium (VFC) recently met to discuss the situation. Out of desperation, the VFC decided to send a team to visit the Navajo nation to learn their rain dance.
The Navajo have lived in the American Southwest for hundreds of years, and drought is the norm in that area of the country. So, they have done rain dances for generations to win favor of the gods and to bring rain for their crops. The Navajo rain dance team was very happy to host the VFC representatives for a couple days.
The Navajo dance team gave a two day in depth course on their rain dance. It had powerpoint presentations and actual dance demonstrations, and the VFC reps were encouraged to participate in the dances. One VFC farmer in attendance told me, “Learning the rain dance was pretty interesting. I knew I was out of shape, but I didn’t realize how bad it was. I thought I was going to die, and I pulled a muscle in my calf.”
Another VFC farmer I spoke with shared the same sentiments. He said, “This rain dance ain’t no joke. It’s a lot different than line dancing or square dancing. I had to take a lot of breaks, and that didn’t make Chief Pouring Rain very happy. I also turned my ankle on one of the jumps. I was tired, and I probably should’ve been sitting out. Luckily, it’s just a minor sprain.”
Chief Pouring Rain said, “The VFC farmers were great to work with, and they were receptive to our ideas and customs. The actual dancing was difficult to watch, and they really struggled. So, I offered to come to The Valley to lead a rain dance, and they gladly took me up on the offer.”
The VFC will host Chief Pouring Rain on Saturday, September 2nd at 6:00 pm for a rain dance ceremony. The VFC dancing farmers will be decked out in Navajo rain dance garb, and they are excited about the dance. Unfortunately, it will not be open to the public, and media will not be allowed. We submitted a media request to attend, but we were denied.
Hopefully, the VFC rain dance will work. However, I think prayer to the Almighty God is a much better option, so I encourage all of you to PRAY FOR RAIN!