By Emma Bynes
@emma_bynes4
On Thursday, Oct. 16, students at Springfield College were treated to a performance by percussion ensemble The Forest, with a special performance narrated by Lone Eagle titled, “Coyote Makes a World.” The Forest is a touring group that plays music frequently embodying different Native storytelling traditions. The group consists of Gustavo Aguilar, Andrew Drury, Michael Wimberly and Springfield College professor Leah Bowden. čnaq’ymi or Lone Eagle, is an Indigenous storyteller who is determined to share and preserve his culture through music.
The multimedia concert, held in Marsh Memorial chapel, featured the musicians as well as a videoscreen — transporting readers into an immersive experience that felt like a different universe. The videos shown on the screen included nature, the main character (coyote), and different weather patterns. The tone of the music matched what was being shown on the screen as well as the narration by Lone Eagle.
The narration from Lone Eagle was unique. He chanted unfamiliar sounds as well as plain English describing coyote’s journey. Starting off from the creation of the universe, coyote was alone and enjoyed nature. However as the story transitioned into modern times, coyote became hungry for power. Coyote is consumed by his desire for nature’s “essence” and is left alone to reflect on the present day world that human society has made.
“I don’t think anyone [attendees] has heard any of this kind of music before,” said Chris Gagne, Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Springfield College. “I love the sound of percussion ensembles and it becomes a very unique setting.”
After their stop in Springfield, lone eagle/The Forest concluded their tour over the last week throughout the New England region. This event was brought to Springfield College as part of the William Simpson Fine Arts Series. The next event in this series will be a film screening of “Wakhiri” — a film detailing the life of a Pakistani social media star. The screening as well as a question and answer session with writer and director Iram Parveen Bilal takes place Oct. 30 at 4 p.m. inside of the Fuller Arts Center.
Photo courtesy of Springfield College/Flickr