Wisdom of the Elders Radio Produces New Public Radio Series

Wisdom of the Elders Radio will launch its second series of eight, one-hour public radio programs this spring. Native Nations along the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Trail, produced by Rose High Bear, and distributed by AIROS.

Native Nations along the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Trail features indigenous elders, tribal historians, storytellers, and song carriers from thirteen nations along the eastern portion of the Lewis and Clark Trail, and honors the oral history and cultural arts of the Shawnee, Otoe, Omaha, Yankton, Sioux, Arikara, Mandan, Hidatsa, Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, Blackfeet and Shoshone tribes.

Hosted by Arlie Neskahi (Dine), the series is funded by the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail System, National Parks Service, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Each one-hour program opens with a historical introduction which shares expedition and tribal history to provide context for the features. The six cultural arts features are:

Elder Wisdom, eight minutes in length and produced by Brian Bull (Nez Perce), features oral accounts from tribal elders who reveal stories about the lives and character of exemplary grandparents and ancestors;
Sacred Landscape, five minutes in length and produced by Judy Bluehorse Skelton (Nez Perce/Cherokee), highlights native elders’ stories regarding their tribe’s “sacred geography”;
Tribal Rhythms, eight minutes in length, produced by Milt and Jamie Lee (Lakota), and narrated by Nico Wind (Assiniboine), relates the history of tribal music and presents traditional music selections;
Contemporary Rhythms, eight minutes in length and produced by Milt and Jamie Lee, highlights the work of contemporary tribal musicians;
Turtle Island Storytellers, eight minutes in length, spotlights tribal storytellers who share traditional or contemporary stories that illuminate the roots of their cultural identity.