Standing Rock singers re-recorded century-old Lakota songs at Makoche’ Studios in Bismarck. from left, John Eagle Shield Jr., Kendall Little Owl, Courtney Yellowfat (project co-producer), and Spencer Little Owl. Photo courtesy of the Densmore Project and Dennis J. Neumann

A new means of teaching about Native culture using songs will be presented during events of powwow week in early September at United Tribes Technical College (UTTC). The college will host demonstrations of digital technology employed in the Densmore/Lakota Songs Repatriation Project.

The project will be introduced and described by co-producer Courtney Yellowfat on Tuesday, September 6, during a workshop session of the United Tribes Tribal Leader’s Summit in the Prairie Rose Room of the Bismarck Event Center. Co-producer David Swenson, of Makoche’ Studios in Bismarck, will join Yellowfat in demonstrating the technology and describing the project’s potential for teaching and learning. Project materials will be provided on thumb-drives free of charge to those attending.

Yellowfat and Swenson will also make a presentation during the United Tribes Technical College International Powwow in Bismarck. The college will host a public open house for the project Saturday, September 10, in Building 7, north of the powwow dance arena. The presenters will remain on site into the evening for further information and to provide project materials on thumb-drives free of charge to anyone interested.

The Densmore project is named for ethnomusicologist Frances Densmore of Red Wing, Minnesota, who visited Standing Rock from 1911 to 1914 and recorded traditional songs on a hand-cranked, wax cylinder recorder. The selections had been passed down for generations and some were already more than 100-years-old. Densmore documented the work in her book “Teton Sioux Music,” which contained additional stories and insights into Lakota/Dakota life and became a touchstone for learning about the culture.

The Densmore project re-introduces the songs and uses technology to make them more accessible for a new generation of Native singers and educators. Yellowfat has involved traditional singers to record the songs anew and Indigenous knowledge-keepers to interpret the culture of the time. Swenson has made the recordings easily accessible on multiple media platforms such as touchscreens for in-person access, website for online connection, and thumb drives for convenient personal use.

The materials include information about Frances Densmore and her work at Standing Rock, an updated e-book version of her book “Teton Sioux Music,” restored and cataloged copies of Densmore’s original wax cylinder recordings, 75 songs from the collection re-recorded in 2022, 30 videos explaining the meanings and significance of the songs, eight writings for further study, and additional videos, including the importance of the White Buffalo Calf Maiden and an overview of the project and the singers who participated.

The Densmore/Lakota Songs Repatriation Project was created for educational purposes. All of the media materials are contained on a thumb drive and are intended for free distribution. However, the content of the traditional knowledge and cultural teachings and understandings conveyed in the project remain the intellectual and cultural property of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

The project is seen as a blueprint for repatriation projects in Native communities. Support was provided by the North Dakota Council on the Arts with a $208,000 grant from the Bush Foundation, and Dakota Legacy with a $50,000 grant from Humanities North Dakota. Standing Rock Community Schools, Sitting Bull College, and United Tribes Technical College are partners.