8 Thursday, October 27, 2016 Island Beat Hawaii Tribune-Herald was so painful into a song. It kind of lessens the blow, you know?” “Bone Hill — The Concert” is honest about uncomfortable subjects including the subject of race in America. But while the piece reveals forgotten truths, it does so with humor and pathos, detailing the plight and struggles of the Cherokee nation, following the Trail of Tears, the U.S. government’s radical reclassification legislatures of the Mid-Atlantic states and the desecration of ancient burial mounds on the highest peak of the Eastern seaboard for the sake of coal mining and new mining towns. Redbone was raised by her grandparents. African-American and Native American by heritage, Redbone grew up in the hills of Kentucky. This is where her story starts. “I learned to hunt and shoot guns, skin a squirrel and make opossum stew,” Redbone says, laughing. “These were parts of my Native American culture that were taught to me by my grandparents. But it was natural for them, so I wasn’t aware it was ‘culture.’” Redbone’s grandmother knew the language, as did her great-grandmother, but her mother’s generation was never taught to use it. Her native tongue was spoken only at home because, she says, her grandparents thought it would hold her back in the modern world. And it was something her mother never talked about. “Now, I’m finding the language again,” says Redbone, who teaches Southeastern Tribal Singing in Louisiana. She also conducts workshops all over the country as a means of cultural exchange. What sparked her desire for “Bone Hill — The Concert” was when her mother and aunt passed away within a month of each other. “I realized we were losing our ancestors and my son was not going to know these people,” she says. “It was really about preserving who we are so when he grows up he’s aware of where he comes from.” Redbone says so far the response to the project has been overwhelming. “When you do these things as an artist, you kind of do them and just hope they speak to people,” she says. “But I think this is something we’re all going through. Just because it’s not recognized on paper doesn’t mean these people are not native. “But what can you do? We can only just continue to be who we are and share our stories and preserve our culture and teach our children. The laws don’t stop any of us from being who we are. I think it’s really up to each person to tell our stories about who we are and where we come from.” Redbone says she sees similarities between what happened to the Native Americans and what happened to the Native Hawaiians as well. “Just like in Hawaii, the people of Hawaii are of the land,” she says. “You can never take that away. Because when someone leaves the land and goes somewhere else, you’re always still connected to that.” Redbone had humble beginnings with residencies at the original Living Room on the Lower East Side of New York and at Joe’s Pub. She traveled across the nation to powwows in Indian Country in support of her debut album, “Home of the Brave.” With several CDs to her credit, Redbone’s dream for “Bone Hill” is for it to become a full-fledged musical. “This is like a taste of what the musical would be,” says Redbone of the Big Island concerts. “We hope to continue to work with public theaters and develop it into that full musical.” Says UH-Hilo PAC manager Lee Dombroski, “Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby have put together this piece that truly runs the gamut of emotions. You’re on an emotional roller coaster with her.” Dombroski was able to see “Bone Hill — The Concert” in New York. “She talks about the conflicts amongst the races and inequities and the potential solutions that were found at various times throughout history, or lack of solutions. It was moving,” Dombroski explains. “The story was so captivating and the music was amazing — you’ve got everything from a Cherokee lullaby to Appalachian folk music and bluegrass. “It’s hard to describe, but it’s sharing in another indigenous peoples’ story. And Martha, because she’s Native American and African-American, has a whole different story to tell.” Presale tickets for the UH-Hilo PAC performance are $25 general admission, $20 discounted and $12 for UH-Hilo/Hawaii CC students and children up to age 17. At the door, they are $30, $25 and $17. Call the UH-Hilo box office at 932-7490 or order online at arscenter.uhh. hawaii.edu. Tickets for the Kahilu Theatre performance are $68, $48, $38 and $20, and are available at www.kahilutheatre. org, by calling 885-6868 or at the box office from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Friday. There also will be a youth show performance of Bone Hill at 10:30 a.m. Monday (Oct. 31) at Kahilu Theatre. For more information about youth shows at the theater, contact education coordinator Lisa Shattuck at youth@kahilutheatre.org. REDBONE From page 7 Songwriting duo Aaron Whitby and Martha Redbone. Courtesy photo
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