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" "1600 East Century Avenue, Suite 6, Bismarck, ND 58503; (Phone) 701-328-7590; (Fax) 701-328-7595; (E-mail) comserv@nd.gov" "

Spirit Woods
Traditional Stories and Songs of Forests and Trees

Musicians/Storytellers

These gifted, award-winning storytellers, while raised in their respective communities, learned many folk narratives and songs in the traditional manner, informally and by word of mouth, from family, friends, and elders. Collectively, they received many regional and national honors including: a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, two Governor's Awards for the Arts in North Dakota, several Best Spoken Word recordings from the Native American Music Association, and a Notable Children's Recording from the American Library Association.

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Album Track List

  1. "The Star in the Cottonwood Tree" by Mary Louise Defender Wilson
    This Dakotah story relays a star's longing for a beautiful sound it heard on Earth.
  2. "The Tree Family" by Rosalinda Kloberdanz
    Trees wish upon the stars in this German-Russian folk story emphasizing the value of family.
  3. "The Bark Back Girl/They Sat so Sweetly Beneath the Birch Tree" by Judith Simundson
    A woodcutter encounters a beautiful woman in the Troll Woods in this Norwegian story coupled with an enchanting folk song.
  4. "The Forest Woman" by Timothy Kloberdanz
    Ancient German-Russian beliefs state when a newborn is ill or colicky, one can appeal to the “Forest Woman” for supernatural aid.
  5. "Uncommon Wood" by Debi Rogers
    A woodcutter uses magical materials to build a cradle for his gifted infant in this Scottish folk story paired with a popular lullaby.
  6. "Lodge Boy, Spring Boy, and the Monster" by Keith Bear
    In this Mandan/Hidatsa story, two brothers seek to destroy the monster responsible for their mother's death.
  7. "The Old Woman Who Never Dies" by Keith Bear
    A continuation of the Mandan/Hidatsa story above, the "sacred and holy" brothers, Lodge Boy and Spring Boy, long for their mother.
  8. "The Wolf Who Stepped Out of the Forest" by Timothy Kloberdanz
    Told by generations of emigrating German-Russians, this parable involves a wolf, a trickster fox, and the dangers of leaving your home.
  9. "The King With the Horse's Ears" by Debi Rogers
    A humorous Irish story of an embarrassed king, a barber sworn to secrecy, and the aid of a willow tree.
  10. "Arrane ny Clean/Manx Lullaby" by Debi Rogers:
    A beautiful folk song from the Isle of Man, sung in the Manx and English languages, about a nesting dove and rowan.

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Enhanced CD

The enhanced component of CD includes the narratives "Spirits in the Wood," "When the
World Was New: Based on Norse Sagas," the song and story "A Woman Once Did Dream," and "Bread on the Tree;" cultural context and scientific information regarding trees referenced in the stories and songs; photographs of forests, the type of trees referenced, and related folk arts.

Playback of the enhanced portion of this CD available on PC only. Certain computers may not be able to access the enhanced portion. Suggested requirements: Windows 98 or higher, 500 MHz (cut pentium) processor or higher, 64 MB installed Ram, 16x speed CD-ROM drive.

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Audio Sample

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Production Credits

Executive Producers:

  • North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA)
  • North Dakota Forest Service

Producers:

  • Troyd Geist (NDCA)
  • David Swenson (Makoche Recording Company)

Art and Enhanced CD Design:

  • Ben Nemenoff
  • Troyd Geist

Media:

  • CD production, editing, mixing, and mastering completed at Makoche Recording Studios by David Swenson
  • Storytelling and interview editing structure, enhanced CD text, and photography: Troyd Geist
  • Layout/Graphic Design: Ben Nemenoff
  • Photographs used for insert: Dennis Gad, North Dakota Game and Fish Department (Craig Bihrle, Ed Bry), North Dakota Forest Service.
  • Enhanced CD images courtesy of of Rosalinda and Timothy Kloberdanz, Debi and Ken Rogers, Judith Simundson, Marian and Marvin Hartmann, John Borge, Cedric Chatterley, Dennis Gad, Mike Miller, Tom Smesrud, North Dakota Council on the Arts (Troyd Geist), American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, North Dakota Game and Fish Department (Craig Bihrle, Ed Bry), NDSU Extension Service, State Historical Society of North Dakota, and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Funded in part by the North Dakota Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Natural Resource Conservation Education grant from the USDA Forest Service Region One, and the North Dakota Forest Service.

Logos for the North Dakota Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the USDA Forest Service, and the North Dakota Forest Service

© 2004 North Dakota Council on the Arts

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How to Order

  • Price: $15.95 (add 6% sales tax for ND residents) plus $3.00 shipping.
  • Mail check or money order to: North Dakota Council on the Arts, 1600 Century Drive, Suite 6, Bismarck, ND 58503
  • or call 701-328-7590
  • or e-mail comserv@nd.gov

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