The Allegany River Dancers from the Seneca tribe in Salamanca, New York, returned to the Tionesta Indian Festival on Saturday night to an overflow crowd.
Tionesta in the Seneca language means “place to pull our canoes out of the water,” said spokesman Billy Crouse, an enrolled member of the Seneca Nation. “It is incredible to think that our ancestors floated down the river and were here hunting at this very spot.”
The performers started with the “Welcome Dance.” The added an authentic chant to a war dance that was also used before hunting.
The authentic ceremonial attire worn by the performers indicated to which tribe and clan they belong.
A headdress with no feathers indicated a member of the Tuscarora tribe.
A medallion worn around the neck could have a bear or turtle, one of eight clans in the tribe.
Founded in 1979, the Allegany River Dancers have become one of the best-known native dance groups in North America.
The festival concluded Sunday.
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