Art+Practice releases "These Are Mysteries"

Art+Practice is proud to release "These Are Mysteries", episode 15 of The Amerikans. This episode presents Parnell Necklace, a Native American drum maker, musician and storyteller who shares his vividly recreated tales of changelings, UFO sightings, the message that Bigfoot is sending and much more.

Also named Wanapin Gagà Hoksina, of the Ihanktonwan Nakota (Yankton Sioux), Parnell’s stories slyly entice his audience to venture along the Chanku Iuta (the “Red Road”), a path of deep alignment with spiritual energy, nature and others. While we hear of and see real owls, water, hawks, fire and bucks, there are sacred patterns suggested (they can be read, if you learn how, in the natural beauty of feathers) that are both specific to one cultural tradition and also accessible to all. As Parnell says, “Every culture has their own version of Big Foot and UFOs.” Parnell’s stories are charming guides, for his family, the Yankton, all who will listen, reminding us that mystery surrounds all human experience, and we are made more alive when we awaken to the sound of a human voice, telling us something extraordinary. While life is always, for all of us, a series of surprises: “These stories are old.”

Art + Practice especially wishes to thank the Necklace family, Richard Johnson and the South Dakota-based musical group Lakota Thunder, who permitted the use of original recordings for the soundtrack. "These Are Mysteries" also features original music and sound design by Charles Glanders, a student of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.