More than 500 years ago, the Paiute Native American tribes of the Washoe Valley danced while singing songs of prayer to a melodic beat thumped on drums made of animal hide.

And on Wednesday, they did it again.

Six dancers from the Eagle Wings Pageant Dancers, a song and dance group from the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, performed for students at Alice Maxwell Elementary School.

As part of a cultural lesson, the dancers dressed in traditional buckskin hide outfits, complete with beaded collars and feather adornments, teaching students dance steps and Paiute words native to the Great Basin area.

“Often, people cannot tell the difference between the Native American tribes,” said Lois Kane, language culture coordinator for the RSIC and one of the dancers. “This is to show that we are all not the same.”

Formed nearly three years ago, Eagle Wings Pageant Dancers perform about every two weeks at local elementary schools and libraries, Kane said.

Other larger engagements have been at tribal conferences, but the message is still the same — keeping the tradition alive, especially for young people.

“It’s educational,” song and dance leader Patty Hicks said, explaining that she always tries to give historical context behind the dances. “We want them (the kids) to know that we’re all still here. We’re still dancing and we’re still talking our language.”

Customary songs and dances performed included Paiute dances like the Antelope Dance, the Swan Dance and the Snake Dance, with some numbers even including audience members.

“I do it for the dancing,” said dancer Randa Deouna, 11, while proudly showing off her handmade beaded collar.

Perhaps the biggest distinction, Hicks pointed out, is the need to identify with the locality of the dances.

“We’re not Pow Wow,” Hicks said, mentioning that Pow Wows are associated with Plains Native Americans but often assumed to be performed by all Native Americans. “We’re traditional Paiute dancers.”

Even specific props used for dances were indigenous to the Paiute tribe, with one dance involving handmade baskets from the tribe used for collecting and washing pine nuts.

“We feel the need to educate,” Kane said to the audience of elementary school-age kids. “We’re all human beings. We’re all the same.”