The natives were in the house Tuesday, November 27, at Pellissippi State Technical Community College in Knoxville, TN.  Community members and students alike turned out for a midday celebration in honor of Native American Heritage month. The program was the result of the efforts of Gayle Wood, PSTCC's Director of Access and Diversity. Wood worked with Wisdom Keepers, Inc. (Knoxville), to coordinate American Indian presenters for the event.

The show opened with Nammy award winning musician Arvel Bird (Southern Paiute/Metis) who thrilled the audience with his famous fiddle music, interspersed with an occasional cedar flute song as he brought the Turtle, Bear, Heron and other relations to life for his listeners.

Between tunes, Bird told the audience about the introduction of the violin to Native people, his own family, and an occasional story such as how the Paiute came to be in their homelands in the Southwest.

Audience appreciation was high, ending with a standing ovation and comments such as "I've never heard such amazing music," "It's absolutely awesome," and "he has to come back!"

Bird and his wife, Kim Kelley, worked the performance in to an already busy schedule, swinging through Knoxville on their way back to Chattanooga from a recording session in Nashville. Bird will be performing at the Canadian Music Awards on November 30, the hook up with his band, One Nation, to perform at the Sedona Dream Theatre in Sedona AZ on December 7, and at the Pueblo Grand Indian Art Market in Pheonix AZ on December 8 and 9. For more information on Arvel Bird and One nation, visit their website.

Next on the busy schedule for the show were cultural presentations by Rahkweeshkeh Miller (Tuscarora Nation) and Watagui Russ (Little River Band of Odawa). Rahkweeshkeh spoke about the indigenous heritage beginning with the creation history of Turtle Island (North America), moving forward through the spectrum of history to contemporary times, while Watagui provided a cultural display and presentation of seven generations of his Anishnaabe (Odawa) family and talked about kinship and the relationship of the clan. He shared how clan membership extends familial relationships to members of same clan in other nations, creating an extensive family network of relatives.

Following Rahkweeshkeh's presentation, both gentlemen spoke personally with numerous audience members about indigenous heritage. Rahkweeshkeh and Watagui can be contacted through the Traditional Native Survival and Cultural Center in New Tazewell, TN.

Emerson Begay (Navajo), Jon Cox (Cherokee) and Max Cartright, members of the Warrior Path Drum provided an exhibition of traditional plains-style powwow drumming, singing and mens' traditional dancing that included both northern and southern-style songs. Dance demonstrations included the Sneak Up and the Crow Hop. Cox brought the audience onto the floor for a snake dance, and again near the end of their demonstration for a dance lesson.

Begay also provided two flute songs, one on his favorite cedar flute and one on a river cane flute that is traditional to southeastern tribes, and talked about the honor and respect Native Americans have for veterans.  Begay, a skilled guitarist and songwriter, also had copies of his first CD, Rezemerize (released in 2006), and has plans to cut a second CD this winter.

Awwatokitoe (Cherokee), a long time performer in and around the East Tennessee area and a talented singer/songwriter and guitarist, followed Warrior's Path with a contemporary music segment that featured his folk-rock and blues stylings on two Buffy Sainte-Marie songs, as well as a third piece he wrote himself. Awwatokitoe is currently looking forward to cutting his first CD. Contact information is available on his web page.

Rahkweeshke and Watagui returned to share center stage with Awaatokitoe to close out the day's activities with two traditional Eastern longhouse social songs, the Circle of Life and Alligator songs.