BILLINGS — On Saturday, the Billings Symphony Orchestra will present, "A Long Walk Home," a performance that blends classical orchestral music with traditional Native American song and dance to celebrate Native American culture and share the powerful story of the Northern Cheyenne people.
According to the symphony's music director Anne Harrigan, the performance offers something unlike anything the orchestra has ever presented for audiences.
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"It's really a once-in-a-lifetime event," said Harrigan. “You're going to see the orchestra, the dancers, the projections, the Northern Cheyenne language, intermingled with each other into something that just doesn't stop.”
The multi-media performance tells the story of how the Northern Cheyenne tribe came to be, including the long and dangerous journey from Oklahoma to Nebraska, and eventually to the current reservation in Montana. The path claimed the lives of all but 150 survivors. The show opens with "We’re Going Home," an original composition by local musician Walter Runsabove, which reflects the tribe’s decision to leave their homelands after suffering from starvation and disease.
“The folks we're working with, they're very tied into their history, and their history informs who they are today, and very proud artists, and very proud to be presenting this and sharing this with our entire community," said Harrigan.
The performance not only celebrates the rich musical traditions of the Northern Cheyenne but also features descendants of those who survived the journey. Runsabove's son, Cactus Runsabove, a Billings Senior High School graduate and MSU Northern football player, will perform as both a dancer and flute player. Cactus grew up hearing these stories passed down through generations and sees Saturday's performance as an opportunity to share them in a way that has never been done.
“Growing up with the Northern Cheyenne background, we kind of know this story all the way from when we're little to when we're adults, and we really don't see it within paper. We don't see it within movies. We don't see it within a lot of storytelling, but we hear it through our oral traditions," said Cactus Runsabove. "Tonight, we're working on bringing that to life."
These stories have helped many in the community stay strong during difficult times, and for Cactus, his grandfather's words remain a guiding force.
“Whenever it gets hard, I just remember my grandpa's words, and it was always, ‘If those before us ever gave up, we wouldn't be here,’” said Runsabove. "One kind of quote I live by is, 'We are the living, breathing success of the battles fought generations before.'”
The collaboration has been over two years in the making to figure out what music to best combine the power of classical music with the rhythm of powwow dancing and Native American storytelling. Co-director and dancer Douglas Scholfield, who is of Winnemem Wintu heritage, came to Billings from California to assist. Though not of Northern Cheyenne descent, Scholfield shares in the broader Native American experience of displacement and loss.
“It hits home for a lot of different tribes. A 'Long Walk Home,' like the Trail of Tears, all the different tribes they went through something like that, whether it was just like a genocidal killing of different people,” said Scholfield.
The performance also features guest violist Neveah Killsnight, a music student at the University of Montana. Growing up in Billings interning for the symphony in high school and a member of the Northern Cheyenne, Killsnight is excited to return to a familiar stage and represent her heritage through the music she loves.
“I feel like my two worlds are colliding, and to see them together, it's just really awesome," said Killsnight.
For Killsnight, being on stage is more than just a performance, but a showcase and representation of culture for a younger generation.
“When I grew up I didn't ever see myself doing this, and I just didn't think that that was possible so it just makes me really happy that kids maybe they want to do orchestra and then they'll see that they can do it,” said Killsnight.
That representation also serves as an opportunity to showcase the ongoing presence and perseverance of the Northern Cheyenne people.
“We're still here, we're still dancing, we're still singing, we still have language. We have all these different things and it's through all the people that put their lives forward to make that happen, and that's exactly what the story tells,” said Scholfield.
The symphony and musicians hope that audiences will leave with a deeper understanding of local Native American history, one that often gets overlooked by many, but an appreciation for the powerful and emotional medium of music for storytelling.
“The whole Montana community, this is part of our entire history and our presence, like, where are we as a community in Montana, and what does it mean to be in Montana? And so it's pretty cool," said Harrigan.
The concert will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alberta Bair Theater. For ticket information, click here.
“Just come here with an open mind, open heart. It doesn't matter where you're from, it doesn't matter where you come from, all that matters is that you sit there, you get to see the story because this is exactly how oral tradition is taught," said Runsabove. "If you come here, you already did your 50%, and we'll do our 50% in telling the story.”
