As a Lakota/Cheyenne, I believe that touring across the country symbolizes a traditional buffalo hunt. So in order to protect and provide for my family, I must follow the music, just as our ancestors would follow the buffalo for sustenance. Producing music and touring has always been my own authentic way to teach my children how we are truly connected to all that is. I hope to show my children that movement forward is sacred, both professionally and spiritually.
Aside from being a national touring act, it’s been three years since I released “Stars Fall.” I recorded this EP four years ago with my children, Welby and Wahpe. We were invited by Robert Lang to record at his legendary studio in Shoreline WA, just north of Seattle. Ironically, creating music so far away from home brought me closer to my indigenous roots of the Black Hills of South Dakota. Once in the studio, I lyrically began to express my appreciation for Lakota/Cheyenne philosophy, and the old teachings that have helped me on my own journey. This way of life has also guided my children and I, as we toured around North America, and now as recording artists.
This winter, I will begin my next recording endeavor by focusing on the Lakota idea of “Wocekiya.” The literal translation for the Lakota word Wocekiya, is to embrace relatives. I feel that it is time for us to find solace here on the northern plains by establishing truthful and authentic relationships. I know it is just an album, but through music, I hope to encourage our youth to embrace one another. I want the youth to see the beauty in our surroundings, and in their own future. I would like to help create trust and respect within themselves, and for others. By sharing the teachings that were bestowed upon me, I feel that this record could be a step forward to healing and reconciliation in the Black Hills Area. And at the very least, a recording of my adoration for my Lakota and Cheyenne ancestry. I would like to accomplish this by creating in and around my home in the Badlands, as well as embracing communities in the Black Hills.
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