Bear Mountain, NY

Invited by Tchin, a Native flute maker from the Narragansett Heritage, Jimmy Lim traveled to Bear Mountain, New York, witnessing a Powwow that celebrates Indigenous traditions, the resilience of Native communities, and the enduring music that continues to echo through generations

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Jimmy 0:00

There was an independence that went beyond words, colors, or flags when I arrived at a powwow in Bear Mountain, New York. I was invited by Chin, a native flute maker from the Narraganset heritage. He welcomed and taught me, just as if I was like a long-lost son, not an outsider who wanted to learn about native culture and history. From the moment I reached the ground, my ear responded instinctively to the singing that floated through the air. It resembled nostalgia, a wailing for oneness. The sound ignited me, and from its trance-like repetition, I felt most powerful yet most weak from a force that I can't control, all turning, turning, and turning around me. That day, I learned that native music used to be criminalized. Can you believe that? If you were to play native music, rhythms, or sing songs in native languages, it was considered a crime. Even public gatherings were against the law up until the 1970s. That's not even a lifetime ago.

Tchin 1:12

My professor at Brown University,

Jimmy 1:14

Tchin, who was a student of Brown University at that time, started making copies of native flutes for aesthetic purposes. He tried finding manuals to no avail, and after finding a Boy Scout book, which took a lot from native culture,

Tchin 1:30

Shows how to make a native flute.

Jimmy 1:31

 It gave him a glimpse

Tchin 1:34

Wow, I found this one book. And so I made two flutes, one for the professor and one for me. Neither one of them worked.

Jimmy 1:43

He kept making Native flutes until one day

Tchin 1:46

I was able to go into the Native American Museums' warehouse. Because before that they would never let anybody, especially a Native person, into the warehouse. Because, you know, it for one thing I could understand because it was very painful to be in a warehouse. Floors and floors and rooms and rooms of all this stolen treasure.

Jimmy 2:08

With this recording, he hopes to preserve the art of making a native flute. Which is why he shared this knowledge with us. He said, first, find a tree branch the size of your arm or your shin. Make the bore the thickness of your finger. Your palm decides where the first note of the flute will be. And the rest of the other notes is the size of your thumb. I asked him how do you tune it then? And he said, you don't. So then I wondered, how do you play with people?

Tchin 2:49

You don't.

Jimmy 2:56

There was an independence that went beyond words, colors, or flags. When I arrived at a powwow in Bear Mountain, New York, I was invited by Tchin, a Native flute maker from the Narraganset Heritage. He welcomed and taught me just as if I was like a long-lost son , not an outsider who wanted to learn about Native culture and history.

Tchin 3:18

Nothing is a masterpiece, everything is an experiment. So when you're making something, basically an experiment, don't think about like, oh, I made a mistake, or I I'm screwed up. No, you didn't. You learned something. You learn how to do it again. You know, and and you have to make mistakes because learning is about making mistakes. You know, if you don't make mistakes, I don't think you learn anything, right?

Jimmy 3:39

This is Jimmy Lim for Soundbox Archive.