(woman) Prairie Musicians is made possible by The Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota and by the members of Prairie Public.

[steady drumbeat] ♪ [screech of an eagle] ♪ [making the sound of the screech of an eagle] ♪ ♪ [huehuetl drum playing in syncopated rhythm] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [drums & bass only; no vocals] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [drums & bass only; no vocals] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [drums & bass only; no vocals] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [drums & bass only; no vocals] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [drums & bass only; no vocals] [volume decreases] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Hi, I'm Bridget Guiza, and I'm originally from Los Angeles, but I live in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

I'm honored to share the stage with my good friends Naabek Liberty and Awanaabe Syverson.

Together we are EshkodeUX, and that means fire in Ojibwe.

The meaning really stems from having that fire in the belly metaphorically but also physically.

Naabek has his thrash metal background, I kinda come in primarily with my classical training background, and Awanaabe has different styles of rock.

So as we started exploring each of our sounds, my current influences, the current state of where my mind is, where my life is, and then meeting these two amazing people, and their world too.

We started realizing that it was kind of a meditative trans rock music.

The coming together of our 3 individuals to create this group is a symbol of our resilience, of our strength, and of our collective healing journey.

And music has brought us together.

[classical music style overture] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [electric violin solo] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays melody] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [volume and tempo decrease gradually] ♪ ♪ ♪ [playing a high resonant tone] ♪ [plucking very softly] My name is Naabekwa, most people know me as Naabek, and I'm a Bear Clan member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

I live in Bemidji currently.

Music in regard to Anishinaabe culture is, of course, huge.

We've always had drums, and cultures around the world have drums, and they're very, very important to us, and I think that's why I ended up being a drummer.

We have so much music whether it's flute, the singing that we do.

Everyone's aware of kinda pow-wow singing and stuff.

But I think one of the things that I would like people to think about, Anishinaabe people, we're more than ♪ Whoo, ahh, yeah!

♪ We're more than that.

We have also this kind of modern hunger to communicate and interact with the rest of the world.

You don't have to just sing pow-wow, you don't have to just play a flute.

You can intermingle those things with modern music and really speak to what's in your heart to say what you have to say musically.

You can be all of those things and still remain an Anishinaabe person.

You're not compromising anything in your heart.

Even though when you listen to this you don't say, oh man, those are Ojibwe playing-- you don't hear that.

But because we are Ojibwe, it makes the music Anishinaabe and makes it-- we bring that.

it's not the music that does it-- we make it that.

[staccato violin solo intro] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals, violin plays lead] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [huehuetl drum only] ♪ [Naabekwa makes the sound of the screech of an eagle] ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [instruments only; no vocals] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (woman) Prairie Musicians is made possible by The Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota and by the members of Prairie Public.