Spirit of the First People
Edited by Willie Smyth & Esme Ryan
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
1999 Jack Straw Prodns/Univ of Wash Press
ISBN: 0295977329

This book & accompanying compact disk offer a rare glimpse into the NorthWest Native American's sacred traditions of song & dance.

Arising from a unique exhibit & live performance at the Northwest Folklife Festival, Spirit of the First People is a collection of personal narratives, stories & essays on the music of the First People in the region that now encampasses Washington State. From tribe to tribe & reservation to reservation across the state, a wide range of musical genres & individual styles have developed, including social dance songs, game songs & hymns.

This is a commemoration & a legacy. A collaboration between Northwest Folklife, the Washington State Arts Commission & Jack Straw Productions.

The project was named Spirit of the First People by Skagit elder Vi [taqwseblu] Hilbert, a member of an advisory council which shepherded the event from concept to reality & thus she speaks:

"Traditionally, leading families from each area maintain & transit the sacred knowledge of their ancestors. Responsible members of each family inherit the right to use this information when & where it is culturally appropriate, for there is a proper time & place for each ritual...There is a constant need, it seems, to present some basic information for those who wish to call Washington State their home. We, the First People, share our land with you newcomers, and we expect you to learn how to apply the teachings of our ancestors in honoring & nurturing all things that we share. Because we carry on our culture through oral traditions, we can best help others learn by allowing them to listen to those things that can be shared verbally. At the "Spirit of the First People" performances at the Northwest Folklife Festival, many listeners thronged to hear our talented storytellers ... who ... were, and still are, our teachers. Through stories, our ancestors taught us our commandments, philosophy, history, geography, genealogy & drama. Learning an oral tradition taught us concentration & helped us listen well in order to be able to retell what we had learned. There was no written language. We had to remember everything that was important, and that certainly excluded the superfluous & superficial."

Cliff Sijohn, a cultural leader from the Spokane & Coeur d'Alene tribes, speaks: "...So listen to your heart. Listen to your heart talk. Because it will tell you the truth. If you always talk with your heart, you'll always have clean hands. My grandmother taught me that, so I give that to you today.

"...When I was a young man, I served in Vietnam. Some 80,000 Indian people served in Vietnam, more per capita than any ethnic group in this country. Let me tell you how song affected me over there. It was in a place a long way from here, a long time ago, but it seems like only a few minutes ago that it happened. this is not a war story - this is a story about a song..."

Helma Swan, teacher & researcher at the Cultural & Research Center of the Makah Nation, speaks: "I would practice all by myself. That's the way the old people used to do a long time ago. I remember when I was about six, seven, or eight, I used to hear Mrs. Annie Long Tom singing - first thing in the morning, real early. She'd be alone, nobody with her, and she'd be singing up a storm! All the time, and then my dad sang alone - every day. Except when he wasn't feeling good. We'd know that he wasn't feeling good then, when he didn't sing.

"So I practiced alone, too. I would just take the drum, sit down, and sing. I would be alone in the house. My husband was working and my youngest son was in school. So when they were gone I could sing..."

Tucked into the many memories of boarding school life, singing the songs to life, berry gathering & potlatches are exquisite black & white archival photos as well has full color spreads of today's families, ceremonial regalia & drums.

With an exceptional Appendix section & worthy Bibliography Spirit of the First People is a profound experience of sight & sound & Spirit.
(11/05/00)

Rebecca