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.
1 comment:
Did i ever tell you I wrote a journalthrough a couple of grad courses for my education masters? It was a dialog journal in a steno notebook with my professor. After that I started doing dialog journals with my 4th grade students until 1999. It was time consuming, but meaningful for me and my students. I see your journal is set up as a blog, where there can be an exchange of thoughts. Way to go!
You are very informative and i like learning from you. Are you planning on branching out from Library Instructor to another kind of instructor? I know drumming facilitator is already happening.
Space is running out so I'll continue elsewhere...
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