Program 201

Missouri Indian Oto Indian Chief or the Puncas

with Arlie Neskahi

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Arlie Neskahi:
This is Wisdom of the Elders. I’m Arlie Neskahi.

12 pipe tomahawks, 47 1/2 yards of red flannel, a dozen ivory combs, 2800 fish hooks, 130 rolls of tobacco. those are just a few of the items on Lewis and Clark’s list of Indian presents to be carefully sorted and packaged in water-proof bags, hauled up the Missouri, and handed out to the ambassadors of the native nations they would contact. Read more »

Dark Rain Thom

Dark Rain Thom

with Brian Bull

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Arlie Neskahi:
Lewis and Clark may have started their voyage from St. Louis, Missouri, but their education about native people began in the woodlands of Missouri and Illinois. Some of their advisors were of the Shawnee tribe. Read more »

Judy Bluehorse Skelton

with Judy Bluehorse Skelton

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Arle Neskahi:
Many native songs and ceremonies are sacred. Many of them were given as gifts from the spirit powers, from the mountains, the rivers, what Lewis and Clark may have seen as empty wilderness.

In Sacred Landscapes, Judy Bluehorse Skelton explores native perspectives on the land and water, plants and animals that Lewis & Clark encountered along their journey. Read more »

Nico Wind

Music of the Omaha

with Nico Wind

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Arlie Neskahi :
The great state of Nebraska, home of the huskers, bread basket of the world, is an open sweeping land of grain and corn fields. Along the eastern edge, the Missouri River cuts through the rich soil on its way to its confluence with the Mississippi. Both the name of the state, Nebraska, and its vast lands, were once primarily the territory of the Omaha tribe of Indians. Today, on tribal rhythms, Nico Wind takes us to the land of the Omaha and explores the roots of the Powwow. Read more »

Tim Grant, lead singer for the White Tail drum group. Photo by Milt Lee.

Tim Grant: Powwow Singer

with Milt Lee

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Arlie Neskahi :
Arlie Neskahi:

The Powwow has come of age. Like rodeo, the Powwow circuit begins in March and lasts through fall. It’s not unusual to find a drum group from Nebraska in California or Tucson, or one from Washington State in Connecticut. I can tell you personally, its 60 hours from Seattle to the Mashentucket-Pequot.

Today, on contemporary rhythms, we travel with Milt Lee to Macy, Nebraska, and discover what it’s like to be a modern day Powwow singer. Read more »

Robert Miller

Robert Miller on George Drouillard

with Robert Miller

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Robert Miller:
You mean you don’t know who George Drouillard is? Well, he was only the most important person on the Lewis and Clark expedition, after Lewis and Clark themselves, of course.

Arlie Neskahi:
Today, on Turtle Island Storytellers, Robert Miller, shares his knowledge about an often overlooked member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the French and Shawnee woodsman, George Drouillard. Read more »