Page 40 - Flathead Beacon // 7.20.16

EVENTS 42 MOVIE REVIEWS 43 SIDE DISH 46 PAWS & CLAWS 48 Arts&Entertainment
Native Storytelling
FOR 32 YEARS, GLACIER PARK HAS HOSTED A NATIVE SPEAKERS PROGRAM THAT TELLS THE STORY OF THE PARK’S FIRST RESIDENTS
BY JUSTIN FRANZ
As the sun set over Glacier Na- tional Park’s largest lake, vis- itors staying along Lake Mc- Donald – either at its iconic lodge or one of the nearby campgrounds – began to le into an old wooden audi- torium after a long day of hiking, boating and exploring.
Up front, award-winning musi- cian Jack Gladstone tuned his guitar in preparation for an evening of music. But the tunes that the Grammy-nominat- ed singer would be playing that evening were not just meant to entertain, but to teach as well. For 32 years, Gladstone
has been a cornerstone of the Native America Speaks series, part of Glacier’s ranger-led activities program. The pro- gram is the longest-running indigenous language program at any national park.
Prior to the 1980s, rangers often did presentations about the native peo- ples of Glacier Park, but rarely were those programs led by tribal members, said Diane Sine, an interpretive ranger who’s helped organize the series. That changed in the mid-1980s.
“It was 32 years ago that we decided that we should get people native to that culture to share that history,” she said.
“It’s their story, and any story is more powerful when it comes from the people who own that story.”
When the program began, Gladstone was teaching at the Blackfeet Communi- ty College in Browning and playing mu-
sic on the side. Gladstone was one of the program’s rst performers and he cred- its it with helping launch his career in music. Since the 1980s, he has produced 15 albums and won numerous awards. He’s even headlined programs at the
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JULY 20, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
“I ALWAYS WANT TO MAKE SURE I’M HISTORICALLY ON THE MONEY, AND I VIEW MYSELF AS A SCHOLAR AND A STORYTELLER.” JACK GLADSTONE