Award-winning drum group to play for concerts

When Berta ScabbyRobe is on stage at Flathead High School two nights this week, she will be drawing little from her vocal training with Flathead choir director Kevin Allen-Schmid.

ScabbyRobe, 33, is a member of the celebrated American Indian drum group the Black Lodge Singers. She is a backup singer, standing behind the men as they drum, singing an octave higher as a complement to the male vocals.

The Black Lodge Singers will perform with the Flathead High School choirs in “Origins: A Spring Choir Concert and Sculpture Unveiling” at 7:30 p.m. today and Tuesday in the auditorium.

“It’s hugely different,” ScabbyRobe said in comparing choral singing to powwow-style music. “There’s a rawness, an edge to it, and when you’re singing in choir, you try to sound pretty and soft. When singing powwow, it comes across with a sharper tone, a whole lot more raw energy.

“You’re singing as hard as you can every single time.”

The Black Lodge Singers of White Swan, Wash., have their origins on the Blackfeet Reservation. The group was founded by Kenny and Louise ScabbyRobe, Berta’s in-laws.

The group has garnered nine Grammy award nominations, and won a Grammy for a collaboration with American Indian flute player R. Carlos Nakai. They are considered one of the most accomplished powwow drum groups in the world, and have performed in Australia, Greece and Japan, as well as with the Phoenix Symphony. They have released 20 CDs, including two children’s albums.

Through his connection with Berta ScabbyRobe, once a choir student and a 1995 Flathead graduate, Allen-Schmid invited the group to be part of his choir program’s spring celebration of the Glacier Centennial. An unveiling of a new statue for the school courtyard by American Indian artist Jay Laber will be part of the festivities tonight. (See related story.)

“We look for opportunities to learn about Flathead and Indian culture, particularly singing,” Allen-Schmid said. “With Berta being an alumni, I started thinking about the Glacier Park anniversary historically, and with the park’s history being thousands of years old, I thought it would be nice to focus on prehistory, its mystical origins and singing about nature.”

The Black Lodge Singers, who will perform their own music throughout the evening and as part of a special choir arrangement, have another connection with Flathead High School through ScabbyRobe’s son, Joseph. The sophomore moved to Kalispell to help take care of his grandmother, Bonnie Sisson, after she had a few strokes last year. He’ll be on stage with the Black Lodge Singers during their Flathead performances.

Berta ScabbyRobe, whose title is Native American case manager at Toppenish Middle School in Toppenish, Wash., hopes the concert changes some notions people may have about powwows and the performers. She started singing at powwows when she was about 14 and remembers the singers and drummers being asked surprising questions when they performed at local schools.

“People would ask about the powwows, ‘Do you worship different gods? Do you live in tepees? Do you still ride horses and shoot buffalo?’ There’s no way you’d think people still think this, but there’s a lot of misconception,” ScabbyRobe said.

“As far as being able to show people a glimpse of what powwow is, this is a pretty big opportunity,” she said. “At the end of it all, I’d like to think my son can be proud and can say ‘Hey, I’m a Native American’ and show people there’s a real beauty in what we do.”

Along with the concerts, the Black Lodge Singers also will perform for assemblies for district elementary students in the Flathead auditorium today and Tuesday morning, with programs for high-school students in the afternoon.

Anna Hansen-Lane, a music specialist at Elrod School in Kalispell, has helped organize the assemblies.

“Elementary students have been learning about powwow music and dance regalia, and to be able to see a group perform live brings a higher level of understanding and appreciation of what they’ve been learning,” she said. “The ‘Kid Pow-Wow Songs’ that the Black Lodge Singers have recorded are especially fun for our elementary students. Our favorite one now at Elrod School is ‘Sponge Bob Square Pants.’ 

“To see that this group values family and children is an important element of Native American culture that our students need to know about.”

Reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4431 or by e-mail at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.