Native American Artisans of the South: Preserving Dance, Music, and Craft

Tennessee, an evolution of a Cherokee village in both name and spirit. You only have to look at a map of Tennessee to see the lasting influence of Native American peoples in our state. Read the place names aloud and listen to the echoes of the old tongue in Uluwa, Sewanee, Chattanooga, and Tullahoma. Speak the name Tennessee and you've uttered a tribute to our First Nations musical word for where the river bends. Those who came to the New World were met by people native to the land and lived because of the natives' generosity. With the Trail of Tears in 1838, the brutal and forced expulsion of indigenous peoples, the First Nations' rightful claim to the land called Tennessee was dramatically and forcibly dissolved. Even today, in spite of ancestral ties to the land and a significant population in the state, the American Indian has no place to call home in Tennessee. Despite this, Native artists, performers, and craftspeople are as active and vibrant today as they've ever been. Their work tells the ongoing story of their heritage. I'm Charles Robinson from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. My wife and I make our home here in Middle Tennessee where we've been here almost 25 years. We have seven children. My wife is Lakota and Blackfoot, so we try to share our tribal cultures with people throughout Middle Tennessee through our organization. Another thing we like to do is to dance and powwow. So we've been coming to the NAIA powwow for about 20 years now. As we travel about, we share about the mountain builders and all the different tribal cultures that existed. The woodland tribes especially that existed in this area long before the settlers came in. The exciting part for us is sharing with the children, watching the children's eyes get big and they really come alive when they begin to learn about our tribal people. So we're thankful to be a part of the NAIA powwow every year and look forward to seeing you out this year. My name is Niles Ezrit. My grandmother used to call me Nez because she couldn't understand English and I started doing this after I came back from Vietnam. My plant is red running through the water and I'm from Sanders, Arizona. Thereafter, I started doing jewelry because this is what my ancestors used to do a long time ago before I was even born. This is how they made their money by selling their jewelry to the traders and this is how they bought their groceries. Hello, my name is Gareth Laffily. I'm a Mi'kmaq and Cree Native American and today I'm going to be telling you a little bit about the Native American flute. These instruments are very old instruments that have helped bring people together for many years. The original flutes were designed so the young native men of the tribes would sit outside of the huts or the teepees of the women and play flute for them at night. If a woman liked the sound of the flute and came out to see who was playing, then that meant she had to marry whoever that person was. So that could be a good surprise or a not so good surprise, but flutes have brought people together for many years. That's how we know about these flutes today is people would take the flutes after they were married and wrap them up in blankets and then hide them in different places. So these flutes now carry more than just bringing people together in that sense, but they allow us to share stories and our culture with the world around us. The flute has been a huge part of my life for many years and it's taken me all over the world and really allowed me to be able to share the story of native people everywhere that I go. And that's a gift that we can give, but it's also something we receive. To be able to share stories is one of the reasons that everyone is here. So it's an honor to be able to carry these to help me tell mine. My name is Sally Wells. I'm the president of Native American Indian Association. And I would like to speak about these things that we do. And this right here is my mother's necklace. She's the one that taught us how to knit. She used to make all this kind. I don't know where she get her pattern to do this, but this is the kind that she used to work with us and we used to sit down and work with her all the time. She used to say, don't forget where you come from. So we had to learn all this. And when I was young, I didn't want to do this. But after I got older, I feel like that was something that I need to carry on because of my mom. So that's how I made all these things. And I belong to Mississippi Band of Choctaw. My tribe is Choctaw Indians out of Mississippi. I have reservation there. But I live here in Tennessee quite a few years now. Different tribes come from different places in different areas. And sometimes they come in here, didn't have no money, didn't have no place to go, but they're looking for job. And so we help these people, help them get a job or maybe pay their rents. And that's how we do. Native American Indian people has never been recognized in Tennessee. So this year, the governor had picked me as award this gift. And I was honored by that because I feel like I represent all the Indian tribes here in Tennessee. And that was the best thing ever happened to us people in the state of Tennessee. The Native American Indian Association of Tennessee has worked since 1980 to improve the quality of life for Indians in the state. Through the annual Tennessee Indian Educational Powwow, natives and non-natives alike have the opportunity to experience a unique intertribal heritage. The powwow is designed to showcase the arts, dances, songs, and storytelling of Native Americans from Tennessee and beyond. Since 1838, there has been no central gathering place, no circle in which to join. Until now. The NAIA is undertaking a historic endeavor to create the Circle of Life Indian Cultural Center. The center will be home to a research library dedicated to Native American heritage, cultural exhibit halls, and displays of authentic Native American Indian arts. It will finally provide Tennessee's Native peoples with a place for emergency relief, job training, and education. As never before in the history of our state, it will encircle Tennessee's original people with a sense of honor and purpose. When a young girl first learns the meaning of her name. When a young boy sits in reverence before the drum, ready to learn its ancient rhythm. When a schoolchild sits in the circle of a council fire's glow and listens to the story of the American Indian, the shame of their leaving, and the joy of their return. When all people can join hands and close the circle of hatred and prejudice, only then can all Tennesseans come together in freedom and pride.