By Rosemary Stephens,

Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Tribune

Preserving songs, history

The Cheyenne and Arapaho Culture and Heritage program along with the Department of Education’s media production studios join together on Sept. 27, 2008 in El Reno, Okla. to capture and preserve traditional songs on video and audio compact discs.

The purpose of the song preservation project is to record as many of the traditional songs as possible for future generations.

A second song preservation session was conducted on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008 at the Rollin Haag Native American church in Concho, Okla.

“We are hoping that our elders will come forward and share the songs they know and have them recorded,” Michael Whitecloud, Arapaho coordinator for the Culture and Heritage program, said.

A third song preservation session is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 21, 2008 at the Department of Education’s recording studio in El Reno, Okla. Times will be announced at a later date.

“It is an open invitation for everybody who wants to participate and be a part of preserving our culture,” Whitecloud said. “It is a way of everyone pulling together for the good of the tribe as a whole.”

Many of the traditional songs have already been forgotten or lost through the years Virginia Richey, project coordinator, said.

The Culture and Heritage program employees saw the need to preserve traditional songs for future generations to come and began to put into motion recording sessions, Whitecloud said.

The Culture and Heritage program is also developing plans for a tribally owned radio station that will play these songs on a daily basis as well as give news and information to the public.

Also in the developmental stages is a plan for a Living Resource Center/Cultural Center where tribal members can come and listen to an oral history of the tribes. One idea is to have families catalogued where a member can type in their family name and pull up their entire family history, lineage and other pertinent information, Whitecloud said.

Some of the drummers and singers for the first song preservation session included, Elsie Sage, Emily Sankey, Belva Hicks, Lynn Naranajo, Jenna Hamilton, Betty Roman Nose, Irene Deer, Johnny Whiteshirt, Moses Starr, Michael Whitecloud, James Redbird, Stewart Candy, Sean Little Bear, Damien Alexander, Mike Pawnee, and Emmitt Redbird.

“Fellowship based on life through singing of the songs is good. It’s alright; just have a good feeling about coming here to preserve our ways,” Johnny Whiteshirt, elder and singer said. “Cheyenne and Arapaho people have a lot of spirituality right here (in our hearts).”

Snider’s Catering Service provided lunch for the first recording session on Sept. 27, 2008, and the Culture and Heritage program distributed a monetary honorarium to everyone who participated.

Crystal Clear Recording Studios located in Dallas, Texas will record all the songs and video onto DVDs and CDs.

Some of the DVDs and CDs were distributed during the annual Tribal Council meeting on Oct. 4, 2008 in Concho, Okla. More DVDs and CDs will be distributed at the upcoming Elders Conference on Nov. 12, 2008 to be held at the Frisco Center in Clinton, Okla. and during the informational meeting to be held for tribal members on Oct. 18, 2008 in Tempe, Ariz.

The DVDs and CDs are available to all tribal members at no cost.

Traditional songs that are currently available on a two-disc set are one Arapaho gospel hymn, one session of celebration songs, and two Native American Church songs.

The 2008 state hand games were also recorded because eight Cheyenne and Arapaho teams participated in this year’s hand games.

To learn more about how to participate in the song preservation project or to order a set of DVDs and/or CDs contact the Culture and Heritage program offices at (800) 247-4612 ext. 27714.