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Dakota Datebook: Teachings of Our Elders

Dan Jerome on Flutes and Stories

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North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding Number Six is about native contributions. It states, “Native people continue to contribute to all levels of society, from local to global in diverse fields including medicine, science, government, education, economics, art, music, and many more.”

In today's episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Dan Jerome, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Nation, talk about flutes and stories.

Dan Jerome:

I think the other people have to know who we are, and that's what I've been trying to do with all these different things and the flutes and so forth. Make the flutes, and I know Owen is doing something, the same kind of thing. In other words, give them, and they get to appreciate the culture as you give them something from the culture. I think the flute is a beautiful instrument and it should be shared. Like I was mentioning, I must have made- Owen is trying to catch up to me, I know. I don't know, he probably passed me by this time, but I made over 300 flutes and I know I’ve given over 200 away, and they're in 14 countries. How many states? I don't know. Canada, so forth. They're all over the world.

If you'd like to learn more about the North Dakota Native American essential understandings, and to listen to more Indigenous elder interviews, visit teachingsofourelders.org.

Dakota Datebook: Teachings of Our Elders is produced with support from and in collaboration with the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

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