RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA — Brulé, a seven-time Native American Music Awards winning act, came to Rapid City last weekend, along with thunder, lightning and torrential rainfall to provide the evening’s entertainment for a charitable event to benefit Lakota Circles of Hope. An hour-long reception with the band members followed by the performance at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Theater ran smoothly until the intermission, when the lights went out! The Brule experience enfolded the crowd in an intertribal cultural journey of dance, music and story telling. Inspiring performances by Paul LaRoche on keyboards, his daughter Nicole LaRoche on flute, his son Shane LaRoche on guitar, Vlasis Pergakis on percussion and Kurt Olson on drums were a feast of color, light and sound. Shane LaRoche said, “My years with Brule have been a learning experience. I went to college for Anthropology but now I produce music and edit film. I don’t have time to do anything else.” Shane and one of the percussionists said that they were excited about the upcoming season of their nightly RFD TV series Hidden Heritage. He said, “Brule has done the TV show for a year and a half, three seasons, and we’re getting ready to start our fourth season soon.” Brule performed together with several Native American dancers, drummers and traditional vocalists who shared their various forms of expertise. Grass, Eagle, Hoop, Jingle Dress, Fancy Shawl, Fancy and Traditional dancers, even a breakdancer, took to the stage with Brule to showcase Native American culture through dance. Brule founder, Paul LaRoche said, “We share our culture in different lights, both the contemporary and the traditional.” One of the dances was a portrayal of the seven sacred Lakota directions. Paul, an enrolled member of the Lower Brule tribe said, “Each of the four colors, Red, Yellow, Black and White has a special significance. Green represents, Mother Earth, a higher power or higher energy, with Blue representing Father Sky. Together the six directions are like a map that we use every day. The seventh color, purple, represents the internal guidance mechanism used for knowing right from wrong. We follow this internal compass on the Red Road.” When a severe thunderstorm hit Rapid City, disrupting electricity, the room was completely shrouded in darkness but the sound of drums, voices and dancing continued. Before the electrical system could be revived, and with only a little light provided by a back up generator, a drum group began playing. Three men in full regalia sang and played a huge powwow drum. An honor song for all the veterans in the room, Soldier Boy, was played, with Paul LaRoche joining the other three drummers. All the veterans were asked to stand up and be recognized. At this moment the show became more vibrant, more alive and more traditional than ever. The thunder boomed outside, echoing throughout the theater. Some people in the room had never attended a powwow, or a Brule concert. It is doubtful that this one will be forgotten. At last the lights came on, the music resumed and two Fancy dancers competed for the crowd’s approval, with clapping as the standard for “winning.” It is hard for people who have seen Brule to refer to their performances as simply a concert; most describe it as inspiring, emotional, magical, exhilarating, or a spiritual experience. Some say that they are gifted. Some say they are remarkable and Saturday evening was no exception. Brule packed the theater for the LCH fundraiser. According to Catholic Social Services Executive Director Jim Kinyon, LCH has received funding from four main foundations and many private donors. One of the foundations requires matching funds according to John Schmidt, Communications Development Director for CSS. Kinyon also said that the net proceeds from this event would go to LCH. He mentioned that LCH is looking into sustainable ways to raise funds. The New LCH Director Joanne Beare, Sunka Ska Win, or White Horse Woman, is a Hunkpapa and Sicangu Lakota from the Standing Rock reservation. Joanne has worked and lived on both the Standing Rock and the Rosebud reservations. Lakota Circles of Hope is an elementary school prevention program tailored for second through fifth graders. Based on the traditional Lakota virtues of respect, generosity, fortitude, wisdom and bravery, the program teaches children to make responsible choices. Beare said, “We use stories written by different people that have a moral to it and have a different value to it.” The team of Sicangu elders and educators, Albert White Hat Sr., Barb Greg Jones, Paula Long Fox, and Lydia Whirlwind Soldier, developed the curriculum for Catholic Social Services. This curriculum was implemented through nine elementary schools on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian Reservations during the 2010-2011 school year. Beare said, “The LCH staff goes into the classroom during the school year. We put a medicine wheel on the floor. Everyone sits around the Medicine Wheel. We teach the children how to smudge themselves. We have talking circles.” Beare added that the students also do artwork and learn about Lakota values from the art that they do.” In addition to the classroom curriculum the program provides summer camp, community and family activities. Shane LaRoche of Brule said, “Whatever we can do for the kids is good for us to do.” (Contact Aly Duncan Neely at prairiedog59@hotmail.com).
Join the Conversation