Enjoy a glimpse into the folklife – and the heart – of North Dakota!
TellTale: Dakota Folklife and Stories is a collection of narratives describing the shared personal experiences and lore of life on the North Dakota plains. From stories of blizzards, to the man who climbed atop a windmill to play his accordion, to the fate of Poker Jim – they originate from, and are shaped by, interviews with senior citizens, many of whom are from elder care facilities.
As a special part of the Art for Life Program, which seeks to improve the emotional and physical health of elders through intensive art and artist interaction, these small group interviews take place around shared experiences, culture, and beliefs. The storytelling process of the elders is designed to address loneliness, social isolation, memory loss, and sense of worth. Other interviews were collected from participants of the agency’s Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program as well as traditionalists identified through fieldwork.
From Germans from Russia folk singers and American Indian storytellers. Watch for new additions!
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TellTale is produced in partnership with Dakota Legacy, elder care and service organizations statewide, and North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA). This effort is supported in part by a grant from NDCA, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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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.” -
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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.
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Keith Bear the Mandan/Hidatsa flutist, artist, and storyteller from New Town, North Dakota, talks about the healing power of music.
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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.
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Keith Bear, the Mandan/Hidatsa flutist, artist and storyteller from New Town, North Dakota, shares his traditional story of Turtle and Pretty Crane.
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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.
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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.