In the Grass Dance Society of the Sioux, one of the offices held by two men, who are leaders of the Grass Dance Society, are called Whistle Owners (Cotanka Yuhapi).

The whistles, which are their badge of office, are a flute like instrument measuring about thirty inches long with the end carved to represent a crane (with an open beak). Long ago the species of wood used in their construction was cedar or juniper. This is because lightning is said to never strike this tree. However, most examples of these whistles in museums are usually made of boxelder or sumac wood. They were originally blown as part of the rain ceremony to attract the Holy Flyer (Wakinyan, the Thunderbird). Remember the Terrible One (Unktehi,the Water Spirit) has a voice as loud as a train whistle. By blowing the wooden whistles, they were fooling the Thunders into producing the desired rain, by attacking the Water Spirit in a storm.
In the Grass Dance the Whistle Owners duty was to keep the singers performance top knotch. If the singers sang a pleasing song, the Whistle Owners were required to blow their whistles over their bass drum. This would request the singers to repeat the song for up to four times. They could only blow for up to eight different songs, so as not to tire the singers during a dance. If, in their enthusiasm, the Whistle Owners blew five times for a song, or nine times during a dance (by mistake), the singers immediately stopped singing and the Whistle Owners were fined a horse each, for their impropiety. If, on the other hand, the singers performance was sluggish, the Whistle Owners announced through a fellow Grass Dance officer called "the Crier" (Eyanpaha) to all assembled, that they were going to "charge the drum" (Cancega atakpe). This meant the Whistle Owners would try and place their whistles on the drum head, thus defeating the singers. The singers could stop the charge by changing the song as soon as the charge was detected, thereby saving themselves. As soon as the announcement by the Crier was heard, the singers chose one of their number to watch the Whistle Owners and to prepare to lead the group in a different song. The "charge" could occur at anytime; up until the dance was concluded or during any song; they did not know. If the chosen singer became distracted and failed to keep his eye on the Whistle Owners, as they danced about, and in a split second, the Whistle Owners rushed forward and succeeded in placing their whistles on top of the drum head before the song was changed to a different tune, it was now the singers turn to pay a horse apiece, to needy persons. This was their fine.
In this way the Grass Dance Society promoted generosity, and by these games, played on each other, practiced the watchfulness and cunnig required of a warrior. In addition each officer was required to pay for his office (at each meeting) with expensive gifts, again paid to the poor of the tribe. Each officer had a required place to sit, the location assigned to the Whistle Owners was on either side of the singers on the northeast side of the dance lodge.
Today the Grass Dance Society no longer functions as it did in the past. A dancer sometimes self-appoints himself as Whistle Owner and blows over the drum during the middle of the last chorus. This signals the lead singer to reapeat the song. After the fourth blowing of his whistle, he is tequired to drop money on the drum. This player for his office and shows his appreciation for the singers great performance.
The reason for the Grass Dances continued popularity is its ability to change with the times. The warrior society gave way to a dancing society and now it has become a contest medium.
Frank Bullhead from Standing Rock and Sanders Bearstail Jr., from Fort Berthold, South Dakota continue the office of Whistle Owner upholding their ancient traditions.
It should be noted that no one but the official Whistle Owner should have a working model of this sacred Grass Dance whistle.

In 1991 at the United Tribes Powwow in Bismarck, North Dakota the first night´s session was filled with people whistling up songs. This is a major contest powwow but not many of the contests were held that night because of all the whistled up songs. Jim Claremont of St. Paul, MN was the announcer that year. He asked that all those who had the right to blow a whistle at the drum gather the next morning at 9:00 am in the center of the arbor. There were about 20 people that showed up. He had them form a circle and going clockwise each was asked to explain what gave them the right to carry and blow a whistle. When they were all done he then had them choose four from the group to be the designated whistle carriers. It was agreed by all that only those four would whistle up songs that weekend.
Customs differ from place to place and time to time. But there are some generally accepted practices on the northern plains. Whistles today are carried by a variety of people. Among them are sun dancers, veterans and veterans that have been wounded in battle, while others have whistles that are handed down within the family.
The most common practice today is that a dancer will dance over to a drum that he likes or one that is singing a particular song he likes and during the last two lines of the song he will raise his whistle and blow it over the drum. At that point several things happen. The singers at the drum all remove their hats to show respect for the dancer who blew the whistle and to acknowledge the voice of the eagle that the whistle represents. The drum is aware they will now have to sing the song four more times trough. The dancer also has an obligation to be at the drum and blow his whistle three more times at about the same place in the song as before. Often the other dancers in the arena will gather around the singers forming an aisle up to the drum for the dancer so he can easily get to the drum to blow his whistle. Sometimes during the fourth song a second dancer may approach the drum and use his whistle, blowing it over the drum signaling another set of four songs. During a break between songs a dancer may also approach a drum and blow his whistle following the same procedure as previously mentioned. Without any hesitation that drum will take up a song and sing it four times through. Four is a sacred number among most Nativ People. That is why the song is sung four times after each "whistling up".
It is also considered properetiquette for the dancer to place tobacco and or money on the drum then shake hands with all the singers when the song is done. But again this will vary from place to place. At one powwow I observed a dancer approach the drum and blow his whistle. As he did so another man standing beside the drum took out his wallet and placed all of his money on the drum at the end of the song. He said that the whistle had belonged to his father who was deceased. He had not heard it blown in many years and hearing it reminded him of his father. This may seem like an odd thing to do but to this individual it was the proper thing to do.
There was a time when almost all dancers carried whistles and a lot of grass dancers had ones carved to look like cranes. But customs and tadition change and today not everyone is privileged to be able to carry a whistle. As Bill Walker often states on these pages, "local customs must prevail".