TellTale: Dakota Folklife and Stories

These audio files are part of a special thread within the TellTale series that honors veterans and military service. It features memories sparked by the creation of an auto-biographical poem used in the exhibit Poetic Portraits: The Lives of Veterans. *Photos by: Kevin Taylor 

1. David Daeley, I’m From Grandpa’s Pipe, U.S. Marine Corps (Vietnam War), Lakota, ND:  David talks about his love of teaching and PTSD. (7:50)
    
2. Donovan Pic, I’m From Cream and Grain, North Dakota National Guard, Lakota, ND (Episode 1 of 3):  Donovan reads an auto-biographical poem that sparks poignant memories. (5:58)
    
3. Raydene Winnegge, I’m From the Queen Mary, WWII War Bride, Lakota, ND (Episode 1 of 2):  Raydene reminisces about meeting her husband, a U.S. soldier, during World War II in England and coming to America on the Queen Mary. (6:36)
    
4. Marvin Ewert, I’m From Mom’s Potato Pancakes, U.S. Army (Korean War), Silver Star and Purple Heart Recipient, Lakota, ND (Episode 1 of 3):  Marvin relays his experiences during the Korean War. (5:48)
    
5. Donovan Pic, I’m From Cream and Grain, North Dakota National Guard, Lakota, ND (Episode 2 of 3):  Donovan talks about his military service. (5:03)
    
6. Bill Prohaska, I’m From Peanut Butter and Jelly Beans, U.S. Air Force, Valley City, ND:  We get to know Bill through his auto-biographical poem and how military service has defined his family. (6:32)
    
7. Jennifer Cabezas, Admissions, Sheyenne Care Center Staff, Valley City, ND:  The challenge of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic in an eldercare facility is discussed. (5:05)
    
8. Marvin Ewert, I’m From Mom’s Potato Pancakes, U.S. Army (Korean War), Silver Star and Purple Heart Recipient, Lakota, ND (Episode 2 of 3): This family of veterans includes a father who served under Theodore Roosevelt in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. (5:50)
    
9. Robert Moore, I’m From a Big Oak Tree, U.S. Marine Corps, Valley City, ND:  Boot camp is a transformational process in the lives of many who serve in the military. (8:19)
    
10. Donovan Pic, I’m From Cream and Grain, North Dakota National Guard, Lakota, ND (Episode 3 of 3): The love of farming starting at the age of nine-years old is revealed. (6:49)
     
11. Kermit Ueland, I’m From Grandpa’s Made-up Stories, U.S. Air Force (Korean War), Valley City, ND:  Three brothers enlisted for the Korean War, saluting General Douglas MacArthur, and the pain of war. (7:31)
     
12. Marvin Ewert, I’m From Mom’s Potato Pancakes, U.S. Army (Korean War), Silver Star and Purple Heart Recipient, Lakota, ND (Episode 3 of 3):  Four major campaigns in the Korean War resulted in the awarding of a Purple Heart and a Silver Star for Gallantry in Action. (6:07)
     
13. Raydene Winnegge, I’m From the Queen Mary, WWII War Bride, Lakota, ND (Episode 2 of 2):  The experiences of a young girl during the “Plymouth Blitz” in England during WWII and sleeping in air raid shelters. (6:45)
     
14. Eugene Klein, I’m From Beautiful Evergreens, U.S. Army, Valley City, ND:  Sheyenne Care Center staff, Jennifer Cabezas, reminisces about Eugene’s auto-biographical poem and the impact it had on him and others during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. (7:04)
     
15. Edward Herda, I’m From My Yorkies, U.S. Marine Corps (Vietnam War), Purple Heart Recipient, Lakota, ND:  Experiences of running a convoy to evacuate the wounded and dead in the Vietnam War. (8:11)

1. Discovering Densmore: Hear from citizens of the Standing Rock Nation (Kevin Locke, Virgil Taken Alive, Sissy Goodhouse, and Terry Yellowfat) as they share insights on Lakota music and culture as a part of the Densmore Repatriation project. (7:47)
    
2. Religious Freedoms: Kevin Locke and Terry Yellowfat, of the Standing Rock Nation, talk about growing up on the reservation during a time when it was illegal to practice their religion. (7:06)
    
3. The Iron Fist: Terry Yellowfat, Cedric Goodhouse, and Virgil Taken Alive recall religious persecution during their youth and the changes they made to keep their religious traditions alive on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation of North and South Dakota. (6:29)
    
4. Densmore’s Adoption: Famed Lakota flute player Kevin Locke of the Standing Rock Nation explains how and why renown ethnomusicologist Frances Densmore was adopted. (6:28)
    
5. Death of Sitting Bull: Tribal elder John Eagle Shield Sr., of the Standing Rock Nation of North Dakota, shares a story of the legendary Sitting Bull that his grandmother told him during his youth. (5:40)
    
6. Boarding Schools: John Eagle Shield Sr., Virgil Taken Alive, and Mary Louise Defender Wilson share thoughts and experiences of the Indian Boarding Schools on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation of North and South Dakota. (7:02)
    
7. Kenny Rainbow:One hot August day, teenage Chuck Suchy, from rural Mandan, North Dakota, was out driving the family grain truck when he encounters someone walking on the side of the road who would have a long-lasting impact on his life. (6:33)
    
8. How Will I Know Your Heart:  Singer/songwriter Chuck Suchy, from rural Mandan, shares his experiences on working with North Dakota elders in the Art for Life Program; the conversations had, and the connections made. (8:18)
    
9. Accordion: Rural Mandan, North Dakota singer/songwriter Chuck Suchy literally feels the beat of music at a young age, leading him to learn a new instrument. (6:30)
    
10. Writing Songs: Rural Mandan, North Dakota singer/songwriter Chuck Suchy loved a certain classroom activity despised by many teenagers. For Chuck, it became a building block for song writing. (6:24)
     
11. Louisiana Purchase: Renown Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author Joseph Ellis explains that we really didn’t know what we were going to get with the Louisiana Purchase, and without the work of Thomas Jefferson, the Dakotas might not be what it is today. (7:30)
     
12. Washington’s Regrets: Renown Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author Joseph Ellis discusses the history and impact of the American Indian Reservation system. (7:19)
     
13. Looking Local: Joseph Ellis, renown Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author, discusses the importance of states rights, the American Civil War, and the and ability of states like North Dakota to govern themselves. (7:17)
     
14. Looking West:  Joseph Ellis, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author, discusses how the Founding Fathers viewed and shaped “the largest trust fund that any new nation coming into the world for the first time has ever had.” (8:00)

1. Meeting Nokotas by Accident:  Frank Kuntz shares how he and his late brother Leo Kuntz learned to love horses from a young age, growing up in Emmons County, North Dakota. While horse breaking and racing, the Kuntz family would discover and then fall in love with a different horse breed called Nokota. (5:46)
    
2. Horse History and Native Connections:  Frank Kuntz of Linton, North Dakota, has the largest and oldest herd of Nokota horses in the world. Frank shares the history behind this truly unique breed of horse. (5:28)
    
3. Horses and Healing:  Frank Kuntz of Linton, North Dakota, shares of the healing he and his late brother Leo Kuntz, both Vietnam veterans, felt after working with Nokota horses. (6:17)
    
4. Loy Larson Intro:  Fargo, North Dakota fiddle player Loy Larson and Bismarck, North Dakota guitarist John Lardinois reconnect over their love of music and play some of their favorite old tunes together. (5:23) 
    
5. The Magic Guitar:  John Lardinois, of Bismarck, North Dakota, is not only an accomplished guitarist but also a talented luthier. John shares how he learned this skill as an apprentice under renowned luthier Dan Roberts of Belgrade, Montana.  John also tells about the best guitar he owns after being a part of the North Dakota Council on the Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program. (6:24)
    
6. Over the Waves:  Two old friends, Fargo, North Dakota, fiddle player Loy Larson and Bismarck, North Dakota, guitarist John Lardinois sit down together to talk about and play one of their favorite traditional waltzes Over the Waves. (5:18)
    
7. Red Wing: Two old friends, Fargo, North Dakota, fiddle player Loy Larson and Bismarck, North Dakota, guitarist John Lardinois sit down together to talk about and play the popular traditional dance tune Red Wing. (6:07) 
    
8. Gray Eagle:  Two old friends, Fargo, North Dakota, fiddle player Loy Larson and Bismarck, North Dakota, guitarist John Lardinois sit down together to talk about one of Thomas Jeffersons favorite fiddle tunes Gray Eagle, square dances in Western North Dakota, and the history of fiddling contests. (6:13)
    
9. Schottische:  North Dakota is a melting pot for fiddle music. Fargo, North Dakota, fiddle player Loy Larson and Bismarck, North Dakota, guitarist John Lardinois discuss how fiddle tunes evolved as influences from across the world made it to North Dakota. (5:26)
    
10. Turtle and Pretty Crane:  Keith Bear, the Mandan/Hidatsa flutist, artist and storyteller from New Town, North Dakota, shares his traditional story of Turtle and Pretty Crane. (8:05)
     
11. The Flute Maker:  Keith Bear, the Mandan/Hidatsa flutist, artist, and storyteller from New Town, North Dakota, shares how he first learned to play the wooden flute and how he was taught and given the right to make them by his uncle Carl. (8:29) 
     
12. Medicine Flutes:  Keith Bear the Mandan/Hidatsa flutist, artist, and storyteller from New Town, North Dakota, talks about the healing power of music. (7:08)
     
13. The Blue Dot:  Rural Mandan, North Dakota, singer, song writer, and poet Chuck Suchy talks about the songs Keeping it Free and River Liberty from the 1990 project “We the People” that address citizenship responsibilities. (7:05) 
     
14. A Big Small Town:  Rural Mandan, North Dakota singer, songwriter, and poet Chuck Suchy discusses the ideas behind his song A Big Small Town, which was a part of the 1990 project “We the People.” (7:04)
     
15. Katie O’Hare:  Rural Mandan, North Dakota singer, songwriter, and poet Chuck Suchy talks about the emotional story of the titular woman behind his song Katie O’Hare, which was a part of the 1990 project “We the People.” (5:13)
     
16. Western Justice:  Rural Mandan, North Dakota singer, songwriter, and poet Chuck Suchy talks about his song Western Justice, which was a part of the 1990 project “We the People.” (4:06)
     
17. The Hand of Josephine:  Rural Mandan, ND singer, songwriter, and poet Chuck Suchy shares the compelling story behind his historical ballad The Hand of Josephine, which was a part of the 1990 project “We the People.” (8:53)
     
18. The Ballad of Joe Arnold:  Rural Mandan, North Dakota singer, songwriter, and poet Chuck Suchy discuss the history and the man behind his song The Ballad of Joe Arnold, which was a part of the 1990 project “We the People.” (5:54)