Red Earth
June 18-20
Oklahoma City
OKLAHOMA CITY – It’s powwow season and dancers and singers are gearing up for one of the biggest powwows in Oklahoma
– the Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival that takes place this weekend in Oklahoma City. Young Buffalo Horse Singers, an Oklahoma northern drum group, is one of this year’s invited drums.
“It’s kind of weird to see a northern drum group in Oklahoma,” Robert Lincoln said. He is Ojibwe, Choctaw and Cherokee and he grew up singing northern drum songs.
“Northern style singing is a lot higher pitched, and the drum beats are a lot different,” Lincoln said. “But a similarity between northern and southern drum groups is that we all have a respect for songs.”
Another difference between northern and southern drum groups is that southern groups’ songs are broken up into two parts and the song is just repeating itself, so the southern drum groups break up the two parts with four beats, and the northern drums don’t do that.
But although some of the members have roots from northern tribes, a majority of them live in the Oklahoma City area.
The drum group consists of Lincoln, Terry Goodsky, Bryce Bailey, Nic Hamilton, Michael Toledo, Skylar Nucosee, Justin Yearby, Chiefy Greenwood, Roby Greenwood,
Keith Longhorn Jr., Keith Longhorn Sr., J.R. Dutchie, Shema Yearby-Lincoln and Vicky RedBird.
The drum group members don’t think of each other as just friends anymore, but family.
“I just think it’s a good thing to be a part of a drum group,” Bailey said. “You become family with all the other singers. You start as friends then you’re family.”
Nucosee said he sees the other guys as his brothers.
“All of us being around the drum makes us like brothers,” he said.
Hamilton said he knows his brothers are there for them.
“I’m a small part of their lives as they are in mine,” Hamilton said. “I just try to look out for them when I can and I’m never scared to ask them for anything.”
Lincoln said the group is unique in another way in that a majority of the group is so young.
“You see drum groups all around the country, and every once in a while you see young ones,” he said. “But they’re hungry for it (being in the drum group.) They really want it. It’s about carrying on tradition, and about making their families proud.”
Drumming and singing goes way back to Native traditions, he said.
“It’s about bringing that pride to their family,” he said. “They have it in them and they want to be well-known for their families.”
When Lincoln first began organizing the group, he said he told the guys they had to be dedicated and come to practice.
“At the time, I don’t think they knew what they were getting into,” he said.
But after being a host drum at a northern powwow and bringing in $3,000, the guys knew it was the real deal, he said.
“When you get into that level of singing and you get paid for a host drum like that then that’s big time,” Lincoln said. “You have to really be disciplined. I told them, ‘you have to have your stuff together. This is like your job, and if you have to do your best or you’re going to lose your job.’”
Lincoln said being a part of the drum group is also a way to help keep the guys on the right path, and maybe keep them out of trouble.
“The guys are doing this for all the right reasons,” he said. “I think being a part of being in a drum group will help them in their lives. I’ve told them, ‘this will take you a long ways if you’re true to your drum and you’re good to it and sing good, and do the things you’re supposed to do while you’re around it.’
Nucosee said he also believes the drum is a positive influence for the group.
“It keeps you closer to the drum, and being around the drum, there’s not a lot of bad things you can bring around the drum,” he said. “It kind of teaches you to be more respectful and it teaches you to be nice to people.”
Lincoln said he knows he’s a part of something great with a great group of young men. “All my guys are really good guys, and this will keep them in a positive direction.”
Nucosee said the group is prepared for Red Earth, even though he still gets somewhat nervous before a powwow.
“We’re ready for it,” he said. “I get nervous too every time I sing, but when you’re out there, you feel like a superstar. Everyone comes down and watches you, and it’s kind of cool.”
You can check out Young Buffalo Horse June 18-20 at the Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival in Oklahoma. For more information visit www.redearth.org.