Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A . C O M 29 A ccording to one version of a Blackfoot myth, stones sang. One of them, resting in the crook of a tree, sang through the dead of winter, when the people were hungry and the buffalo had disappeared. A very poor woman heard it. "Take me to your lodge," it sang. "I am very powerful." The woman did what the stone said. It told her to gather the men and have them sing a song to bring the buf- falo back. They were incredulous, but the woman was persistent. They sang the song that the stone had taught to the woman, and they prayed. It was not long before they heard a sound, like thunder in the distance. They marveled, for it was not thunder at all, but a herd of buffalo, returned again. Hearing the song, the buffalo rushed over a butte as if hunted. The people were happy in the certain knowledge they would survive the winter. Music and song are more than central to the American Indian tradition; they are an essential gift that has enriched the American musical landscape. Among the many American Indian musicians who have made their mark on music are Robbie Robertson (who hailed from Mohican descent), singer/songwriter for The Band (also a producer of music fi lms with such greats as Martin Scorsese), Jimi Hendrix (a touch of Cherokee), and pop-rock pianist Tori Amos (who identifi es as Eastern-Cherokee), to name a few. Indeed, American Indian music has directly or indirectly infl uenced leagues of artists, some performing traditional music and some bringing their traditions to bear on more popular genres. Award-winning fl utist Joseph Firecrow often opts for tradition and does so with beauty, authenticity, and skill; in his own words, "My music is traditionally based whether I am working in blues, jazz, rock and roll, or classical. My Elders have kept the songs alive, and the recognition goes to my people, the Northern Cheyenne, when I sing a wolf song, war dance, or round dance song". When Firecrow was a boy on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Southeastern Montana, he heard the American Indian fl ute for the fi rst time and was transfi xed. His fi rst two albums were self-produced, only sold at concerts, but he was soon picked up as one of the fi rst artists (and still best sellers) on the Makoche label. His album Cheyenne Nation won him a Grammy nomination, while Legend of the Warrior won both Best Male Artist and Flutist of the Year at the Native American Music Awards. He hopes his latest, Face the Music will give listeners "the ride of their lives… modern enough to keep the listener interested and traditionally based enough to provide a wide range of thought and emotion." Supaman, AKA Christian Parrish Takes The Gun, may have taken a different path, recording and performing in the relatively recent genre of rap and hip-hop, but it is no less infl uenced by the ways of his people. "Ever since I heard Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight," I was hooked. Not only on rap music, but hip-hop culture as a whole," he remembers. thunder in the distance. They marveled, for it was not thunder at all, but a herd of buffalo, returned again. Hearing the song, the buffalo rushed over a butte as if hunted. The people were happy in the certain knowledge they would survive the winter. Music and song are more than central to the American Indian tradition; they are an essential gift that has enriched the American musical landscape. Among the many American Indian musicians who have made their mark on music are Robbie Robertson (who hailed from Mohican descent), singer/songwriter for The Band (also a producer of music fi lms with such greats as Martin Scorsese), Jimi Hendrix (a touch of Cherokee), and pop-rock pianist Tori Amos (who identifi es as Eastern-Cherokee), to name a few. Indeed, American Indian music has directly or indirectly infl uenced leagues of artists, some performing traditional music and some bringing their traditions to bear on Award-winning fl utist Joseph Firecrow often opts for tradition and does so with beauty, authenticity, and skill; in his own words, "My music is traditionally based whether I am working in blues, jazz, rock and roll, or 29 classical. My Elders have kept the songs alive, and the recognition goes to my people, the Northern Cheyenne, when I sing a wolf song, war dance, or When Firecrow was a boy on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Southeastern Montana, he heard the American Indian fl ute for the fi rst time and was transfi xed. His fi rst two albums were self-produced, only sold at concerts, but he was soon picked up as one of the fi rst artists (and still Cheyenne Nation won him won both Best Male Artist and Flutist of the Year at the Native American Music Awards. He will give listeners "the ride of their lives… modern enough to keep the listener interested and traditionally based Supaman, AKA Christian Parrish Takes The Gun, may have taken a different path, recording and performing in the relatively recent genre of rap and hip-hop, but it is no less infl uenced by the ways of his people. "Ever since I heard Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight," I was hooked. Not only on rap music, but hip-hop culture as a whole," he remembers. American Indian musicians have excelled at every genre and instrument in popular American music culture, from acoustic to zydeco. BY JOE SHELTON Joseph Firecrow

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