By Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribal Culture Research Director

Yavapai songs and dances were elevated to a special realm by ancestors of the Yavapai groups today. The Yavapai danced for daily needs such as rain, crops and hunting. Because Yavapai prayers were also made through dance and song, traditionalists are reluctant to perform certain aspects of Yavapai music, limiting them to a spiritual setting. Songs frequently followed the outlines of long teachings and were sung when traditional knowledge was shred. Some could be danced to, others only a medicine person could participate in.