I've been working on our original website Oyate Ta Olowan.We've been working on adding digital downloads to the site, but it's still a challenge. Oyate is a public radio series that we did on traditional Native American music. We did 52 half hour shows and traveled over 100,000 miles collecting music from all over the Americas. It was a while ago, but people still seem to love it, so we keep offering the shows for sale. It's all a part of our little press Many Kites Press. Life is so amazing, and so full, but we keep on trucking. I hope things are going well for all of you, and that continue to create wonderful things. Later, Milt Lee
Yep, I’m Mr. Green. As I was working today - being green, my honey, Jamie Lee picked up an old Xacti that was laying around in the yard, and started to shoot. She’s a great camera person, and little did I know that I was to the star of this little feature. It’s a series we call - “Green as a Frog”. I hope you enjoy it, and learn a great deal about many really green things - like recycling, and reusing - everything!
It’s an old story, but it’s still a good one. At the powwow, it’s not always about just preserving culture, and keeping traditions alive. Lots of times it’s about seeing somebody - maybe somebody you’d really like to see, and seeing if they want to see you - maybe they do - maybe they really do.
Every month they have a powwow at one of the grade schools on Pine Ridge Reservation. On Friday, Feb 15th, it was at the Porcupine School. Pahin Sinte - that’s porcupine in Lakota. It’s just like a regular powwow, and every thing is the same. The grand entry, the flag song, then the victory song, then a sneak-up song, some intertribals, and finally a dance contest. But I wanted to show what goes on behind the flags.
This is an old piece (last summer) but we keep doing the Bead People, and I just love it, so here it is! This morning we went to St. Elizabeth Seaton school in Rapid City, and did the Bead People with a first grade class. It is so amazing to see how excited people get when they see the bead people - everybody, and I mean everybody, from little tiny kids to adults of any age just falls in love with them. I’ve been rebuilding our new website, that has a beadblog for the bead people but it’s not ready yet, but soon, soon. Until then, I hope you enjoy the Bead People. I know they enjoy you.
Back in 1974, a young Lakota guy with a big black hat came into my studio. He was a singer and wanted to record an album. I suggested that the first thing he should do was come in on Wednesday, in the morning, and we would lay down a scratch track of all the songs that he wanted to do. He protested that morning was a really bad idea. I said, yeah, but - your voice will be really good then. So that’s how it happened. That Wednesday Buddy came in with his Martin, and big mug filled with orange juice. We recorded 10 songs that day - straight through - no second takes - just a scratch track. But as I listened to it over the years, I came to believe that this was maybe the best that Buddy ever sounded. He was clean, straight, sober, and his voice was true. He sang the songs that he had written and they were really fine. This is one of those songs. I hope you like it as much as I do.
Buddy never recorded that album. He went on to perform all over world, and recorded several other albums. We did his first 45 - “Indian Love Song” and later did an hour long documentary on his life. We released it on the first anniversary of his death. He died when he was 44. He and I were the same age, and we were both adopted. He grew up on the rez and I didn’t. Somehow his demons got the best of him, and he died of Cirrhosis of the liver. I’ve never seen a person in as much suffering as Buddy was when he went on. The only thing I suppose is that his music is still with us.
