(woman) Prairie Mosaic is funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4th, 2008, the North Dakota Council on the Arts, and by the members of Prairie Public.

(woman) Welcome to... a patchwork of stories about the arts, culture, and history in our region.

Hi, I'm Andy Garske, welcome to Prairie Mosaic.

And I'm Barb Gravel.

Poetry and music are two distinct forms of expression, and today we'll hear a little of both, including poems read by the 2026 North Dakota Poetry Out Loud winner As well as the mesmerizing voice and quick witted lyrics of a musician from Roseville, Minnesota.

Dakota artist Holly Young expresses her passion for Indigenous art through detailed beadwork and striking ledger art.

Rooted in Dakota culture and storytelling, her work honors ancestral traditions while expressing contemporary Indigenous identity.

(Holly) I do art to self-soothe.

So you're in there, you're drawing, and you're beading it definitely helps me take on a different perspective and look at things differently in the world-- like therapy.

My name is Holly Young, and I am a full-time Dakota artist.

I am a beadworker, I practice quillwork, and make moccasins, dolls, ledger art, and whatever else I can learn, I try.

When I was pregnant and carrying my daughter was when I first got interested in art in our Dakota way.

When our children are born, we gift them with culture items.

That's where I wanted to start learning how to do the work myself.

So that's where I first started and got curious about art.

Then I was kind of really obsessed with it, and I really wanted to learn more about it.

I wanted to learn about the colors, the patterns, I wanted to get better at it, so it was something I really just dove into.

Beadwork, which was the first artform that I picked up, and that's because you have the kind of colors that we can use in the beads.

When you do a pattern or a design, there's a lot to choose from.

There's different types of beads and cuts and shines.

Some of them are matte, so that's fun to play with.

It was like, I don't know, 15 years ago, my grandma passed away, and I went into my grandma's house, and I found some old beadwork, and the beadwork had these floral motifs on them, and some were quilled, and some were beaded.

I got very curious about it.

That started a whole journey of trying to figure out what kind of beadwork it was, where it came from, what it signified, and why the people created it, A lot of our art is narration.

You know, it's a whole storytelling.

So these floral motifs and these plant designs are our people recording history of the plants that they use.

It could be a personal story to the family.

Since then, this floral work is making a comeback, and it's pretty moving to see.

Part of being a beadwork artist is pattern you put down on your material, so you have to kind of sketch.

I have some artist friends that were watching the process that I was doing.

Those friends encouraged me to try ledger art.

Ledger art is a very old traditional artform that was solely done by men.

So it began first with petroglyphs, then it was animal hides, then there was a time during the late 1800s, early 1900s when the people were confined to the reservation.

So they no longer had access to the animal hides, and during that time through trade and the agents and the non-native on the reservation, they got ahold of these ledger books.

So the ledger books were used to keep track of census-taking, some were used for distribution of materials such as blankets and food, so the people had taken those books and adapted to the extreme change that was happening around them and just made do with it.

So some of the themes that are seen in older ledger art were scenes of war, stealing horses, counting coup, courting scenes, ceremonial scenes, and anything that they felt were important to preserve because it's a people preserving history through telling these stories that they felt were important for the community to always remember.

Being a contemporary ledger artist and a woman and a mother, my point of view is obviously a little bit different than the older ledger arts.

I tend to focus on a lot of things that I know.

I tend to draw moms and children and grandmas, cradleboards.

Creating ledger art is like letting my voice be known and my experiences as a woman.

Recently I worked on illustrating my first children's book.

It was with author Tara Parron.

It's called "Our Sacred Land of Phezuta."

Phezuta means medicine in Dakota.

It's a story about a grandma and her grandchild on the land, foraging, spending time together, and I chose to do the project because I could relate to it as somebody who was raised by my grandma as well.

We did a lot of the themes that are going on in the book.

We did a lot of foraging, spent a lot of time together.

We were constantly on the land, so I could relate.

What's important about creating ledger art is continuing that tradition that I feel is important.

I think that we think of art in these days that it's like we do art, then you live your life.

But back then and even now to me as a contemporary artist, it's intertwined.

it's kind of like if I didn't do it, it just wouldn't feel right, [laughs] It's continuing in a tradition that is important culturally for our people.

The Red River Valley History Papers is an eclectic collection in the archives at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

It includes dozens of newspapers, photographs, postcards, and other materials that provide an indispensable snapshot of Northwest Minnesota history.

[vibraphone plays] (woman) I was really drawn to the oldest ones.

I just like to see how things were written in the time.

Being an archivist is really meaningful for me to preserve the history of this region.

What we have here is unique.

Nobody else has it.

Our materials here represent the culture and the people of this area.

My name is Trista Raezer-Stursa and I am the University Archivist here at MSUM.

We are currently in the MSUM archives which is comprised of 2 archives actually.

We have the University Archives, then we also have the Northwest Minnesota Historical Center which is archival material pertaining to the Northwestern region of Minnesota.

So as an archivist, my responsibility is for the archives here, acquisitions, getting in new historical materials, providing access to these materials to researchers who come in such as students, local community members, genealogists, scholars.

New materials that come in need to be organized, and we also do outreach to let people know that we're an archive here, and we like people to come in to look at materials and use them in their research.

The archives here was founded in 1972.

The Minnesota Historical Society down in St.

Paul, they wanted people in the state to have easier access to materials that pertained to their local history.

So they started what they would call regional historical centers across the state.

So the Northwest one was established here, MSUM.

So they transferred some locally relevant collections to us, and it's grown since then.

I would say that these materials, most of it is what we would call ephemera.

So ephemera is materials that people don't typically save.

It's comprised of newspapers, photographs, postcards, maps, brochures, flyers.

Everything in this collection was most likely donated by the individual.

They find our we're here, they know about us and brought it over, so usually it's just a bunch of individuals collecting historic things, and we're going to make sure these items get preserved and that people in the future down the road can see them.

So right here is the oldest newspaper that we have in this collection.

June 4th, 1885, The Evening News.

It's kinda funny because there isn't really any hard-hitting articles in it.

About half of it is actually ads, then it's kind of little short sentences of things happening.

Then there's a few items of like this is what's going on in Georgetown or Kragnes or these areas.

Back in the day there would often be like local town gossip which held the newspaper.

Headline that says "Mrs.

Leckwold Possibly Insane."

"Physicians say women's distorted mind is not uncommon condition."

I tried to give you a little snapshot of what thinking was like in the past that, you know, we wouldn't think that way today.

Newspapers in the past used to be much bigger physically, and I've noticed even in my lifetime, probably to save cost or money they've gotten kind of thinner and smaller.

Now currently most newspapers are really online.

It's going to be hard for people in the future.

We have to hope that those newspaper companies are preserving their online presence and saving those visible records.

Technology has really been great for archives because we've been able to digitize a lot of materials and make them available online so that people around the world can see these materials.

It's really exciting to know that someone on the other side of the globe could be reading a student's paper from MSUM.

So really something about being an archivist is seeing the new materials that come in.

There are times when I get something and it's like wow, this is so cool!

So for example, during World War II there was an Air Corps training done here on campus.

Men came in to do training before they went off to war, so we got some donations from family members of those men, Also a scrapbook put together by students during the 1920s.

When you see photos of people from the '20s, things were fairly formal, but I've gone though it, and there's these really fun candid photos of this girl and her friends.

They were making silly faces, they were having a pajama party.

Just seeing really candid photos you usually don't see.

It was really fun because it made it feel more real like this is a college student who's having a fun time here on campus while they're also studying.

Seeing those earlier, getting those older materials from students from the past is a lot of fun.

The Archives is a place where you can go to really see, like okay, here is a photograph of this town, here's what it looked like, here is a newspaper, this is what happened that day.

Our history is a part of our culture, it's what makes this community what it is today, and it's good to know what happened in the past, or someone might be curious about a specific thing like what's the history of my home?

What was going on when it was built?

How has this area grown and developed?

Who were the prominent people who lived here 100 years ago?

Poetry Out Loud is a high school program that encourages students to master public speaking skills and build self-confidence through poetry.

Aspen Geist from Wyndmere High School is the 2026 North Dakota Poetry Out Loud State Champion.

Hello, my name is Aspen Geist, I'm from Wyndmere High School.

This next poem was written by a deaf author for her deaf friend and it kind of goes into why would I need to sing when none of us can hear it?

Even though we look as beautiful without it.

"Thou askest, "O my friend, a song to-day; "But what soft note, "What subtle melody "Can thy young heart's delicious joy convey?

"In Life's enchanted lyre, "One chord alone "Can thrill thee with a music all its own, "And fill thine heart "With one most perfect tone."

"What need, then, "Hast thou that I sing to thee?

"June roses for thy bridal, "Fair to see, "Are sweeter music "Than my notes can be; "And song-birds flitting "Thro' the fragrant air "And stars that gleam, "Like living eyes, from where "Thine own turn softly "In my troth-plight prayer.

"Then silence, "Sweeter than all varied sound, "Shall fold thee soft, "Like loving arms around, "For life's most perfect gift "Thy heart hath found."

This poem is about the feelings of a college graduate, whether they're happy, sad, or everything else in-between.

"What summons do I hear?

"The morning peal, "Departure's knell; "My eyes let fall a friendly tear, "And bid this place "Farewell.

"Attending servants come, "The carriage wheels like thunders roar, "To bear the pensive seniors home, "Hear to be seen "No more.

"Pass one more transient night, "The morning sweeps the college clean; "The graduate takes "His last long flight, "No more in college seen.

"The bee, "Which courts the flower, "Must with some pain itself employ, "And then fly, at the day's last hour, "Home to its hive with joy."

This poem is about how beautiful the world can look even in the darkest of times.

"I feel the spring far off, "Far off, "The faint, "Far scent of bud and leaf-- "Oh, how can spring take heart to come "To a world in grief, "Deep grief?

"The sun turns north, "The days grow long, "Later the evening star grows bright-- "How can the daylight linger on "For men to fight, "Still fight?

"The grass is waking in the ground, "Soon it will rise and blow in waves-- "How can it have the heart to sway "Over the graves, "New graves?

"Under the boughs where lovers walked "The apple-blooms "Will shed their breath "But what of all the lovers "Now parted by Death, "Grey Death?"

Singer/songwriter, Samantha Grimes brought her mesmerizing voice and clever lyrics to our studio along with her left-handed and upside-down guitar playing!

Listen as she performs some of her favorite original compositions.

Hi, my name is Samantha Grimes, and I'm originally from Forest Lake, Minnesota and Minnesota born and raised.

I play kind of a non-genre specific version of Americana, country roots, rock-- basically a little bit of everything.

[playing a blues-rock beat] ♪ ♪ ♪ I've been searching ♪ ♪ Low and high ♪ ♪ I've been praying ♪ ♪ For a sign ♪ ♪ I've been living like I'm waiting to die ♪ ♪ ♪ I've been lonely ♪ ♪ In the dark ♪ ♪ I've been broken ♪ ♪ By my heart ♪ ♪ I've been bleeding I've been torn apart ♪ ♪ ♪ But my eyes are burning raw ♪ ♪ Crying tears ♪ ♪ Nobody else saw ♪ ♪ Paint the liner black ♪ ♪ Though it's lonely at the top ♪ ♪ There's no there's no going back ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I can see ♪ ♪ You out the back ♪ ♪ Single malt whiskey ♪ ♪ In your hand ♪ ♪ Looking for another looking for a lover so you feel like a man ♪ ♪ ♪ And I could have you with one look ♪ ♪ Desperation's ♪ ♪ My favorite hook ♪ ♪ I'm a hunter and my prey has me shook ♪ ♪ ♪ 'Cause my eyes are burning raw ♪ ♪ Crying tears ♪ ♪ Nobody else saw ♪ ♪ Paint the liner black ♪ ♪ Though it's lonely at the top there's no ♪ ♪ There's no going back ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ So I'm sittin' by myself ♪ ♪ Got my demons ♪ ♪ On a shelf ♪ ♪ Light another smoke tell another joke like there's still something left ♪ ♪ ♪ But my eyes are burning raw ♪ ♪ Crying tears ♪ ♪ Nobody else saw ♪ ♪ Paint the liner black ♪ ♪ Though it's lonely at the top ♪ ♪ There's no there's no going back ♪ ♪ My eyes are raw crying tears ♪ ♪ Nobody else saw ♪ ♪ Paint the liner black ♪ ♪ Though it's lonely at the top ♪ ♪ There's no there's no going back ♪ ♪ ♪ [rapid finger-picking] ♪ [playing a rhythmic rock beat] ♪ ♪ Carry on without me ♪ ♪ I'm on fire you don't want the ashes ♪ ♪ The desire you don't want the chaos ♪ ♪ I create ♪ ♪ You don't want me ♪ ♪ So hide me in your desk drawer where I'll wait ♪ ♪ Picture perfect secrets and mistakes ♪ ♪ Never let 'em see the light of day ♪ ♪ You don't want me ♪ ♪ ♪ I'm only lookin' out for you ♪ ♪ ♪ So think of all the damage ♪ ♪ I could do ♪ ♪ Oh how's a broken heart ♪ ♪ Allowed to bruise ♪ ♪ Why is the first case always the worst case ♪ ♪ When it comes to you ♪ ♪ Ah-ah ha I'm only looking out for you ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ So come on baby tell me that you get it ♪ ♪ ♪ I only said it 'cause I meant it ♪ ♪ ♪ I feel it's so obvious ♪ ♪ My heart's just pulp and lies ♪ ♪ Oh trust me I'm no prize ♪ ♪ You don't want me ♪ ♪ ♪ I'm only looking out for you ♪ ♪ So think of all the damage ♪ ♪ I could do ♪ ♪ Oh how's a broken heart ♪ ♪ Allowed to bruise ♪ ♪ Why is the first case always the worst case ♪ ♪ When it comes to you ♪ ♪ Oh-oh I'm only looking out ♪ ♪ For you ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Ah ah-ah ♪ ♪ Ah-ah ah-ah ♪ ♪ Ah-ah-ah-ah ah-ah ♪ ♪ Ah-ah ah-ah ♪ ♪ Why is the first case always the worst case ♪ ♪ When it comes to you oo-oo ♪ ♪ I'm only looking out for you ♪ ♪ ♪ So think of all the damage ♪ ♪ I could do ♪ ♪ Oh and how's a broken heart ♪ ♪ Allowed to bruise ♪ ♪ Why is the first case ♪ ♪ Always the worst case ♪ ♪ When it comes to you ♪ ♪ Ah-ah ah-ah ♪ ♪ I'm only looking out for you ♪ ♪ ♪ I'm only looking out ♪ ♪ For you ♪ If you know of an artist, a topic, or an organization in our region that you think might make for an interesting segment, please contact us at... (Barb) You can stream this and other episodes of Prairie Mosaic online, and follow Prairie Public on social media For more content and updates.

I'm Barb Gravel.

And I'm Andy Garske.

Thank you for joining us for another edition of Prairie Mosaic.

[guitar, bass, and drums play in bright country rhythm] (Barb) "Prairie Mosaic" is funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4th, 2008, the North Dakota Council on the Arts and by the members of Prairie Public.