Compact Disc, Book, Video Aim to Preserve Lakota Culture Story-Date: 10:04 a.m. PST Tuesday , February 16, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------ Compact Disc, Book, Video Aim to Preserve Lakota Culture By Jennifer Peterka, Indian Country Today, Rapid City, S.D. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 15--RAPID CITY, S.D.--Lakota culture and history, as told by Germaine Tremmel and the Red Drum Woman Society Singers, will forever be preserved for future generations of Lakota people in a CD, a book and a video. Tremmel and the Red Drum Woman Society Singers will hold a drum gathering and recording session at Prairie Edge Fine Art Gallery beginning at 1 p.m., March 13. The session will produce a music CD, educational broadcast video and book of Lakota cultural stories and songs. The event is sponsored by Earthwalker in co-operation with the gallery. The public is invited to attend and ask questions. The singers will perform songs in the Lakota language, incorporating traditional and original music based on American Indian heritage. There will be a recording session later that evening for invited guests, elders and dignitaries, who will be asked to share their thoughts and questions. Educational and cultural stories and songs by Tremmel and the Red Drum Woman Society Singers will be recorded for a music CD, video and book. Teaching about the drum, positive messages about American Indian women and the ritual and tradition that bring dignity to all Lakota people will be incorporated into the efforts. For several years Tremmel, Hunkpapa Lakota, has devoted her life to the teaching about the drum and music of the Lakota people. She feels the drum is a powerful source of healing energy that American Indians can use to reconcile their past with their present and provide renewed strength for the future. "We have come together to learn the sacred teachings of the drum. These teachings involve what it means to be the seventh generation of our people. We are the continued heartbeat of the Indigenous People's of this land," Tremmel said. An enrolled member of the Standing Rock Tribe, Tremmel serves represents the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization at the United Nations. A graduate of the University of Colorado with a degree in law, she serves the American Indian community as legal counsel for land lease agreements, as an attorney for the Land Claims Commission and as a legal consultant to the United States in its policies toward Indigenous human rights. Stephen Croes from The Complex in Los Angeles, Calif., is producing the video and CD. The Rapid City native has worked extensively in Indian country. The video, book and CD, scheduled for release in mid-summer, will be used in schools and through other sources to instill a sense of pride and identity in Lakota youth, said Lily Mendoza owner of Earthwalker. "Germaine has so much knowledge of tradition, culture and the women's place in Lakota society. Her message is so compelling and keeps the audience captivated. We felt this needed to be done for young people to learn who they are as Lakota people. "We hope to have this start a series of educational videos to use as an avenue to introduce Lakota studies into school curriculum," she said. Many hours of work has been put into every area of this project, to make sure that it is done correctly and respectfully, Mendoza said. "We want it to be pure, true Lakota culture." ----- Visit Indian Country Today on the World Wide Web at http://www.indiancountry.com/ (c) 1999, Indian Country Today, Rapid City, S.D. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. ------------------------------------------------------------