Ceremonial Approaches to Teaching Lakota Culture Workshop, June 1- 5

(I recently attended a week-long workshop for educators on Lakota culture. Here's an excerpt from a reflection paper I wrote after the experience).

Looking back over my notes and experiences at the workshop, I see that I came away with a lot of new knowledge, and I think I’ll be chewing over what I learned for some time to come. Over the five days that we five strangers stayed at WingSprings (the conference facility near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation), camping in tipis in a shortgrass prairie landscape, we learned much and shared a bit of ourselves in the process. I think I also learned more about myself during this workshop than at any other I’ve participated in recent memory.

One of the main “learnings” I came away with was how the ceremonies, rituals, and traditional religion serve to inspire and anchor Lakota people in their unique “cultural memory”, of what it means to be Lakota. Coming from the dominant white society, you don’t often get the chance to see the effects of colonialism first hand, right here in North America; visiting the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation puts those things into focus. Actually participating in a sweat lodge ceremony, or inipi, on the second day, was much different (and much more meaningful) than just reading or watching a program about it. Even though we did not get to witness the Lakota Sun Dance ceremony, ceremonies that take place throughout the summer in “Indian Country”, and which are lynchpins in Lakota religious life, we did learn from experts in the community (Jerry and Theresa Lessert, Charlie White Buffalo) who are involved in running these sacred ceremonies. Through this experience in the field I felt viscerally the importance of the Lakota religious ceremonies.

We also learned (and read a good deal in the course packet) about the gods and goddesses, the story of the creation of the universe, and important stories of how the Lakota came onto the world, and how they received the sacred pipe from White Buffalo Calf Woman. It was also interesting to learn about Lakota kinship relations and their power to define Lakota identity and society. We even learned some of the language, greeting one another each day in Lakota, and using Lakota terms of address (such as “cousin” or “aunt”, for instance). All in all, I came away with a greater appreciation for ceremonies, rituals, and religion, as well as a desire to learn more, and hopefully share some of what I have learned with the broader, white/mainstream society.

There was also a good amount of cross-cultural dialogue among the participants and the workshop leaders. For my part, I tended to listen more than speak; in the future, I think I will be able to speak more confidently on this topic, knowing what I know now from this workshop. There were times when the fact that some of us were “outsiders” to Lakota culture (one of the participants was Lakota, the other four, myself included, where of European ancestry as far as I knew) came into play. It was good to notice that tension, but to not let it sidetrack the learning environment. Many of us may have had to deal with the sense of “white guilt” in our own ways during the workshop. However, the attitude engendered by the workshop facilitator was always about thinking critically, but dispassionately, about the issues, and also honoring that the fact that we all come from different places and have different perspectives to share.

Developing a lesson plan to teach a ceremonial aspect of Lakota culture was both interesting and challenging. The facilitator of the curriculum portion, a school principal and curriculum coordinator for a reservation school district, explained some of the cultural background that would help us understand Lakota students, such as reading body language, and the fact that the etiquette for socializing (for instance, with parents), as well as humor, are different than white mainstream culture. While I had glimpsed snatches of the ideas of “Indian Time” and “Indian Humor” through reading books and attending pow-wows, it was really good to get this information from an expert, and to witness it firsthand with our presenters...

Finally, I’m challenged by a question that this workshop brings up: how will I incorporate this information, knowledge, and experience into my practice as a librarian and educator? As a librarian, how can I teach about Lakota culture? My hope for the lesson plan is to do a small group presentation for students, possibly alongside a HealthRhythms group drumming session at a residence hall event, in the next academic year. It will be a challenge to integrate this information into my professional life, but I also see it as an opportunity to stretch my skills and move into different areas.

In a way, learning about Lakota culture and ceremony helped me learn about myself, and my desire to understand, interact, and work with people from other cultures (especially Lakota). The fact that a colonized people--right here in the Midwest and the Great Plains--have retained their sense of identity, and are still struggling to create and maintain that identity in the face of obstacles (like poverty and racism) is inspiring to me, and makes me want to continue down this path, in some way.

Spring Update

Things have been quite busy lately; the work of the school year is coming to a close very soon, and my research into Lakota and native drumming is also coming to a close. It feels like lots of things are in a state of transition (some trees are starting to sprout green leaves from their buds), including this project. The change of seasons reminds me of the natural rhythm of life, of time, and transition.

So, first things first. I will be going to my third pow-wow in the past year this weekend, a joint MSU-Mankato/Gustavus Adolphus College sponsored event. Along the lines of the the pow-wow, and native drumming, and Lakota cutlure, I am looking very forward to attending a week-long workshop for educators on Lakota culture, in Martin, SD. It is hosted and taught by a scholar and South Dakota resident, Craig Howe (Oglala). This will be a great chance for me to deepen my understanding of Lakota culture, and to experience it first-hand, as there will be a visit to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The topic of the workshop is Ceremony--so, obviously, I am thrilled about it. I've even scoped out some reading material on Lakota culture while at the great Minneapolis bookshop Birchbark Books, owned by the writer Louise Erdrich (who is Ojibwe).

The focus of this project was also to continue to deepen my skills with the HealthRhythms group drumming protocol. Through the great help of a librarian colleague, who hosted a potluck gathering and group drumming session, I was able to do another session, and feel more comfortable leading a group through an experiential exercise.

It was a good group; some had been to drum circles before, but none had been to a facilitated session. There was a wide range of ages, from kids to adults. Overall, the feedback I got from the debriefing session was good; there was the "good feeling" afterwards of drumming together, even though most people had not met each other before. It was a privilege to be there.

Looking ahead, I see more transition...moving back to Mankato, reuniting with my wife and family (cat, lizard, and fish), job uncertainty on the horizon, experiences to deepen my appreciation for Lakota culture, ceremony, and the drum.

Red Leaf Takoja/Heart Beat

Watching the DVD "Red Leaf Takoja: Song of the Heartbeat" (High Star Productions, Rancho de Taos, NM, 2003) emphasized again how music is really the fabric of life, a celebration of life, for North American Indians. In the DVD, Howard Bad Hand, the lead singer of this pow-wow "super group", talks about how the music, and by extension, the drum, is a dynamic expression of the culture, and that it changes as the culture and life of the people changes. For example, one of the Red Leaf Takoja singers, a non-Indian, tells the story of his introduction to traditional Lakota singing and drumming. At the time he joined the group (the early 1970's), traditional songs with words (songs which the elders knew by heart) were making a comeback in pow wow settings. At the time, many songs sung at pow wows did not have words, because of the different languages spoken by the attendees. So, songs were becoming more word-oriented, and the composition of groups were changing as well. In fact, several members of the Red Leaf Takoja singers are women, and they play the drum and sing with the men; this is contrary to the traditional place of women, who would sing behind the men and would not usually play the drum (from what I've read in my research so far).

One of the things I appreciated about watching the Red Leaf Takoja singers was getting to understand the context behind the songs. Time and again, I heard the different kinds of Lakota songs--warrior songs, honoring songs, social dance songs, sacred songs,and intertribal songs--created especially for the occasion. The music is expressive of the moment, meant for specific occasion for specific people in a specific locale, not simply recorded for mass consumption. There are songs encouraging people to dance in a spirit of brotherhood/sisterhood, or the warrior songs telling the warrior to "point your weapon" as the enemy charges. There are even songs to bless the children.

Throughout the Red Leaf Takoja songs, there is the underlying, very steady pulse of the "big drum", which propels the dancers and singers, and mesmerizes the listener. It's not surprising that the drum is considered the heartbeat of Grandmother Earth to the Lakota, since it truly sounds and feels like a heart beat. Overall, this DVD shows how music, song, and dance (and the drum that plays an integral part in it) is the continuing creation of Lakota culture, and, by extension, the evolution of Native American culture into the future.

Finally, in reading a couple of articles in the Folklife Annual yearbook (Smithsonian Institution, 1982) about North American pow wow culture, I learned that pow wows are sometimes an amalgamation of the traditions of the nations that attend them, since Indians from the Southeast, West, the Great Plains, and the Northeast will come to them. Overall, there seems to be an emphasis on the commonalities between the peoples--their Indian identity--and also an acknowledgement of the differences among the nations. I think this is something that the world could learn from.

Special Treat

What a neat thing to be treated to--a talk by Native American and American Indian Movement co-founder Dennis Banks right down the hall from the library! There was a drum (group of drummers around the big drum) that played an AIM honor song as part of the opening of his presentation. He followed up with a neat sort of spoken word essay about the Native American issues.

I'm going to sneak back for a little more...

March Is Here

I always have to start with the weather. We're in the transition from winter to spring here in the Upper Midwest, and that signals many things: the return of flocks of geese and other birds, melting snow, interviewing for permanent positions, and more importantly for this project, pow-wow events to attend. I'm quite excited about going to a few more, as I've had such a good experience at the two that I've attended. There is usually one held at Southwest Minnesota State, where I work, in April (haven't yet seen any advertisement of it).

I will seek out opportunities for native drumming/singing events in this part of the country; I haven't made any contacts through my colleague at SMSU, which I said I would do by now. I think that my focus on interviewing in the last month has taken up my energy and time, but I want to get back to this project. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to the African Drumming session at MSU-Mankato.

I did finish reading Mickey Hart's excellent coffee-table book Planet Drum on the origins and facets of the world cultures' use of the drum. What a great read (and lots of great pictures, too). Rhythm and noise, two complementay forces, are at work with the drum.

I did order a DVD of a very popular drum group on the pow-wow circuit--The Red Leaf Takoja Singers. It's sort of a window into pow-wow music and drum groups. Other than that, I'm going to try to get more experiential as the snow continues to melt out here in Southwestern Minnesota....

Pow wow

This weekend I attended the “Cherish the Children” pow-wow in St. Paul, an annual benefit for a local family center for the St. Paul American Indian community. I enjoyed watching the dancers and the drumming groups (about ten of them; unfortunately I didn't have time to talk with anyone from the drum groups); the drummers seemed to draw a group of onlookers. There were several really good groups of drummer/singers—referred to as “the drum” meaning both the instrument and the players surrounding it---each with their own style and percussive rhythm, as well as range of ages of their members. The look on the drummers’ faces was usually intense concentration. I’ve read that the drum is considered the heartbeat of the people, or of the earth--the drums were obviously very important in keeping the dancers moving, around and around the circle of the Central High School gymnasium.
Going to the pow-wow (my second in the past six months) demystified some of the images I had of pow-wows and Native Americans in general. I came away with the impression that pow-wows are not only about tradition and ritual, but a great deal about socializing and the coming together of families and friends.
These were obviously modern people living in the modern world, and actively keeping their "old ways" alive. The pow-wow was really focused on drumming, singing, and enjoyment of togetherness. A book that was sent my way from a colleague at work said it best: “Indians acknowledge today that the old way has indeed changed forever, and that to survive they must now combine aspects of their older customs with realities of the world in which they live...the new way of life does not replace the old; the old survives by adapting and intensifying. (p. 68, Brown and Toelken. “American Indian Pow-wow”. Folklife Annual 1987, The American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress) Going to the Cherish the Children pow-wow showed me vividly, in all its colors and rhythms, how the really important aspects of American Indian culture—singing, dancing, the reciprocal giving of gifts—is being kept alive today.

Next Steps

I'm really looking forward to more tidbits of drum lore in "Planet Drum", the coffee-table companion book to the drumming CD Mickey Hart put out.

As far as the next steps of my project goes, I am still waiting to hear from my contacts in the Lakota community, to see if I could visit or talk with some drummers there. But in the meantime, I am planning to go to the "Cherish the Children" pow-wow in St. Paul, as well as to hopefully attend a session on "African Drumming for Everyone" at an Minnesota State U this month. (I was very excited to see this being offerred!)

In the next few weeks, my plan is to transition from the research phase, to the experiential phase--attending events, and talking with experts in the field.

Drumming at the Edge of Magic: Mickey Hart's Drum Journey

Reading "Drumming at the Edge of Magic" by Mickey Hart, the long-time drummer for the Grateful Dead, and an ethnomusicology researcher (the branch of music dealing with the various forms music takes among world cultures) in his own right, has been an eye and ear opening experience. Once I stared reading it, I couldn't put it down.

Hart, whose own life-story is reflected in these pages, focuses on his quest to understand the roots of drumming and rhythm. He really makes the case that drumming is an important cultural expression that should be cherished into the future, and even brought into more prominence in our relatively "non-drumming" Western culture.

Why isn't drumming as prevalent in our Western culture, as it is in, say, Africa or South America? Hart's answer, after several decades of research (with ethnomusicologist colleagues and Joseph Campbell as friends helping him out!), is that, for the most part, drumming was relegated to the military in Western culture (with the exception of orchestral drumming) . It was basically divorced or de-coupled from the sacred aspects of singing and dancing, a very long time ago (somewhere between three and four thousand years ago).

Hart has a very interesting thesis (which he backs up with scholarly research)--that drumming was a key part of the earth goddess (or Great Mother) worship of pre-classical Western culture. Unfortunately for us, the traditional and sacred uses of drumming were, for the most part, lost with the overpowering of this matriarchal culture with the patriarchal culture of classical European and West Asian civilization. (Some notable exceptions were the ancient Greek cults of Dionysis and Cebele).

There are many gems of drumming lore in the book, interspersed with personal stories of Mickey Hart's personal journey in life (as well as some neat stories ranging from ancient myths to the tales from his drumming friends). Here are a few to share (all from "Drumming at the Edge of Magic, Mickey Hart, 1991):

"In much of Africa, music is as large a part of everyday life as conversation or cooking or the birdsong. It enhances the significance of all the important way stations of life, from birth through initiations to death...there are special songs sung when a child's first teeth erupt and songs sung to cure the same child of bed-wetting....You could almost say that African peoples have a song or a dance for every occasion. 'A village without music is a dead place, ' says an African proverb." This quote reminded me of what Severt Young Bear said in "Standing in the Light", about how closely connected singing, dancing, and drumming are in Lakota culture.

"It takes years to become a master drummer..the reason for this is that you have to know not only the rhythms but the dances as well...you have to know all the songs and all the dances that go with them....Many of these rhythms are only played at specific times, during the festival for a house raising, for example. Or when a drought occurs....but, the most important rhythms in Yoruba (West African cultural group) land are those that communicate with the Orisha (powerful deities or spirits)." This quote comes from an excerpted telling of his life by Babatunde Olatunji. It points out, again, how the powerful trio of drumming, singing, and dancing, played in a central role in West African life.

"The best way to keep time in a polyrhythm is to create a rhythm of your own and merge it with the group's. Apparently most Africans, both listeners and players, learn this truth at their parent's knee." African culture's rhythmic sensibility is polyrhythmic (multiple rhythms going at the same time). What I find interesting here is that the HealthRhythms protocol includes joining of one's personal rhythm to the rhythm of the group as a whole. HealthRhythms' synergy of African drumming and Western science makes it interesting as a cultural phenomenon. It's as if we're trying to recreate the meaning of the drum, borrowing from another culture's expression to fit our own.

And about the master drummer in the African drumming ensemble:

"His position depends as much on mastery of drum lore as on technical skill...knowing the right rhythm to play on an occasion is as important as being able to execute that rhythm. A good master drummer at a social dance can keep up a regular monologue on his drum, telling jokes and proverb, rapping out rhythms that might say 'hi'..or call others up to dance." This shows another confluence of the drum with cultural communication. This aspect of drumming seems to cross the globe, found in Native American drumming, for example.

It also expresses an awesome part of African drumming, what's known as the "talking drum". African cultures have developed this drum, one which allows the modulation of pitch as well as a beat, to such an extent that actual "drum languages" were created and used to communicate across long distances--a sort of Morse code using drums.

Circling

(Warning: this sentiment is probably something that bloggers *think* about posting a lot, but don't actually do!)

I've been looking back on my older posts, all the way back to the beginning of the project (May, 2008), and am struck by how much ground is covered, and how much more of the journey there is to go. I'm reminded that the project has grown organically, from my own interests, the encouragement and cooperation of many good folks, and just plain luck.

Long live Project-Based Learning!

Mickey and Baba

I wanted this project to have a focus that’s tied to where I am now—Southwestern Minnesota and the culture of the drum in Lakota—while also wanting to widen my focus at some point to include the role of the drum in worldwide culture. As I gather sources together on these global aspects of the drum, I experience a musical treat. Listening to Mickey Hart’s album “Planet Drum” gives me a peek, a wider view, into the use of drums in the wide variety of cultures that span the globe. On this album, Hart, the long time co-drummer for the Grateful Dead, and ethnomusicologist and drum researcher in his own right, brought together great percussion players from cultures around the world--India, Africa, South America, and the Middle East—to create a drum and percussion only album. It’s awesome listening. The liner notes indicate some of the ideas that Hart is trying to convey—that drumming is old, and is considered a sacred and connecting force among people and cultures.

In the liner notes to the Planet Drum CD, Hart says something meaningful about drum’s legacy of furthering humanity’s creative impulse; he wanted to reflect “the countless ways devised by humans over time to make rhythm and noise….there is no end to the variety and expanse of percussion instruments, and no limit to the sound and rhythms which those instruments make possible.” I’m impressed by Hart’s words here, and in his emphasis on sound, rhythm, and even an outlook on eternity, in humanity’s attachment to rhythm. While talking about the inspiration for the “Temple Caves” song, I like that he connects drumming and rhythm to an ancient and imaginary world where the roots of musical rhythm first took hold, in prehistoric dancers doing a ritual dance in a cave, playing the cave’s rock formations as percussion instruments. That drums are used in ritual and spiritual ways is a thread that is woven throughout the stories of drumming that I’ve read, and Hart keys into that here.

I’m also going to read parts of the companion book to the CD, which explores the history of the drum in more depth. In my book stack is also Babatunde Olatunji’s “The Beat of My Drum: An Autobiography”. Olatunji, from Nigeria, is one of the most famous African percussion players in the world, and was instrumental in bringing African drum rhythms to American popular culture (including the American cultural phenomenon of “drum circles”) in the 50’s and 60’s.

The Traverse de Sioux Treaty Site History Center

Yesterday, I took a trip to the Treaty Site History Center in St. Peter. While we lived in St. Peter for a year, I never got a chance to go there, so I was looking forward to seeing the exhibits, and wondered how they would tell the story of this area of Minnesota. I also wanted to get my knowledge of the Dakota back up to speed; while we have a pretty good section in our home library on Native American/American Indian topics, I haven't read them in a while. By extension, I thought I could know something of the Lakota and American Indian cultures in general.

It started out as a beautiful, warm-ish day, so I decided to snowshoe through the guided prairie/river trail that had interpretative signs about the treaty that took place here. The Treaty of Traverse de Sioux of 1851 sold the millions of acres of Dakota homelands to the U.S. government. I knew a little bit about the treaty, but after reading some of the signs on the trail, I started to realize that this area is so full of history, that my investigations into Native American culture have to keep the tragedy of colonialism in mind. I also need to recognize my own cultural biases, and try to view the drumming (and singing and dancing, because these, too, are not easily separated) in the context of this often tragic history.

After paying my museum admission to the two polite teenage girls at the counter, I was first greeted with a large room for viewing an excerpt of a documentary about the U.S./Dakota Conflict. It gave me some really good background about the conflict that I had not grasped before; such as how the huge debt that traders in this area (at least) encouraged the Dakota into, forced them into a terrible position to lose their homelands. Also, how through the system of hunka--or adoption of non-Indians into Dakota life with the understanding that the traditional Dakota ways would be followed--more and more interaction and intermarriage happened between the settlers, traders, and Dakota.

In another large room with local history exhibits, I gravitated toward the wall panels that talked about several hallmarks of Dakota society and culture. Of course, knowing my own interests and background, I was very interested in the panel about "Dakota Governance". This talked about how decisions were made communally, through a consensus process. I am always attracted and fascinated by this aspect of Indian society, and I wonder how I might use it in group drumming facilitation sessions. Another panel talked about reciprocity, binding groups of people together through gift-giving.

Overall, seeing these exhibits on an historic treaty (as well as knowing its historic echoes in the hanging of the 38 Dakota in Mankato, the largest mass execution in U.S. history, 10 years after the treaty signing) had an emotional mpact on me. I felt a sense of sadness, a subtle sense of history being repeated in the 21st century, and the question: "what has been lost?". But, this is tempered by my knowledge that the history and traditions of the Dakota (and Lakota) are still being practiced and given voice to today.

Cancega means Drum (Lakota)

Severt Young Bear was a traditional Lakota singer and was respected for his knowledge of traditional Lakota culture; he was also a founder and lead singer for an influential Lakota singing group, the Porcupine Singers (from the Porcupine District of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota). He co-wrote (along with R. D. Theisz, his friend, fellow Porcupine Singer, and professor at Black Hills State University) the book Standing in the Light: A Lakota Way of Seeing. This book came out of a series of recorded conversations between the two friends; their project was inspired by Young Bear's wish to pass some of his knowledge "of the old ways" to future generations, both Indian and non-Indian. He also talks about his development as a singer and leader among the Lakota. The book has a very concise (5 page) history of the Sioux (of which the Lakota are a part); this helped deepen my understanding of who the Lakota were (and are), and Young Bear's views on his people and their ways, and his place in that society.

The book is an inspiring and positive reflection on a life well-lived. Young Bear's story resonated with me because he often talked about his desire to improve himself as a singer and Lakota man, one who can know the right traditional song for the occasion, and who can also write songs for the occasion. I had many "ah-ha" moments while reading the book, especially from stories and tales that were sad, funny, and optimistic. In my reading, I also realized that the drumming can't be separated from its wider implications: that drumming is a part of the culture of singing and dancing, which plays a special role in keeping the traditional Lakota ways alive. However, the drum is a focal point of the energy behind this--it proivdes the rhythm to the singer and the dancer--which means that it is an instrumental literally) force in maintaining the Lakota identity into the 21st century.

So, I wanted to find out, through Young Bear's story, the meaning, significance, and use of the drum for the Lakota. Here's what I discovered.

Drums, along with the singing of traditional or sacred songs, are used mainly at ceremonies, festivals and dances, and other sacred events. Sometimes a drum was even accorded honors that a person would receive. Young Bear mentions that the drum the Porcupine Singers used for many years was named "The People Hear Its Voice", and it was treated in a reverential way. It received gifts that were usually offered in honor of a warrior or wise elder. Young Bear also relates that hand drums were often used in the home to accompany family members' signing, and that this home-based singing was a way for the family to connect with each other and to work through emotions--off happiness, sadness, anger-whatever the mood was at the time. Unfortunately, Young Bear said, this tradition is no longer prevalent, and that the drum and singing voice has been replaced by the radio in most Lakota homes.

Young Bear talks about the communal and sacred aspects of the drum. The drum was used as a way to communicate, to send messages through a Lakota camp, so that all could hear it, such as to call people to a special event or dance. On the sacred side, the powerful voice of the drum helped the singer go beyond him or herself to reach the Great Spirit with song. This idea resonated with me, because I often feel that sense of connection that the drum brings, of being in a sort of sacred space. He mentions that, traditionally, the drum was also called "the heartbeat of grandmother earth"--the sound that lies within the earth. This is a very apt and powerful image, that speaks to me of the moving and grounding power of the drum, and music in general.

Another literally striking aspect of Lakota drumming is the emphasis on the drumstick. There are types that have a sheepskin or a leather head; some drummers use wooden sticks, and others use sticks made of synthetic materials. Young Bear says that the "serious and dedicated singers take pride in their drumstick"; and that "you can tell the kind of singer by the way he takes care of his drumstick; after all, that's his main equipment." This reminded me of the fact that I had to make my own drum mallets for the group drumming session at the library, and that I taped an old sock to one of them to act as the beater. It's no wonder that it got a lot of laughs when that sock started unravelling in the session!

In many cultures, there are rules about who can play the drum, because of the its use in sacred ceremonies and rituals. In a Lakota community or band, there would usually be someone whose special gift was to make drums for use in ceremonies; this person knew the best time of year to cut down the cottonwood tree, how to correctly shape the drum body, and which skin to use to get the desired sound. There would also be honored members in the community who could strike the drum to call people to a dance or ceremony; this person would know how to strike the drum to convey the information about what specific ceremony or dance was being called. The Lakota word for drum--cancega--means "wooden bucket"; what a down-to-earth term, and right on!

Young Bear and Theisz's conversations, as put down in Standing in the Light, has helped me see how the drum is just a part of an overall mosaic of Lakota traditions and values. I have glimpsed the important role drumming and singing play in keeping the songs and ceremonies, indeed the identity, of the Lakota alive. In reading the thoughts of a respected artist, singer and drummer, and community leader, I hope to call forth other deep meanings in my drumming with groups.