Drum group headed to Olympics

ELMO — A local drum and singing group will have a chance to represent their culture, heritage and hometowns on one of the world’s biggest stages next week at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Chief Cliff Singers, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes members based mainly out of northern Flathead Reservation towns like Dayton, Elmo and Big Arm, will head to British Columbia to perform on Feb. 19 at the Aboriginal Pavilion in downtown Vancouver.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in the Winter Olympic Games,” Chief Cliff leader Mike Kenmille said. “I didn’t hesitate to jump on.”

Kenmille and 11 other members will head north in a week to join  dancers from the Canadian Ktunaxa tribe to perform three songs during a 25-minute time slot, something Kenmille and everyone involved is honored to participate in. The Chief Cliff group performed with the Ktunaxa troupe in 1982 and 2000, and were invited by the members of their sister tribe to join them at the games.

Kenmille said they would perform the “Flag Song,” which includes words from the unique Salish language, as well as the “Shake Song” and a third song that is yet to be determined.

Making the trip as well will be the 1,000-year-old drum the group uses. The drum has been passed down from generation to generation, a symbol of the group almost as important as the cliff north of Elmo that it is named after.

“The drum was handed down to me by Alex Lefthand, and I’ve had it for about 40 years,” Kenmille said. “It’s handed down from the elders. The drum is from way before [Lefthand’s] time, and probably goes as far back as the cliff.”

As the recipient of the beautiful instrument, Kenmille is responsible for the drum, the group’s members and the cliff itself.

At 50, Kenmille is the eldest of the group, composed mostly of men in their 20s. He said they each work on composing songs, coming up with melodies or ideas while hunting or fishing. Kenmille said drugs and alcohol are a no-no anywhere near the drum, and to protect the cliff, he has taken aim at a mining operation just below Chief Cliff that he worries will eventually erode its face.

“Once you start cutting into Mother Earth, she bleeds just like we do,” he said.

Kenmille said the group doesn’t turn anyone away, and recruiting starts right away — in the womb. When the group travels to different events, he said at least 10 people to every group member follow them as support and to hear them perform. Young children grow up hearing the loud beating of the drum and get so used to it that they can sleep to its beat, Kenmille said.

Despite having traveled the world, Kenmille admits that this trip will be extremely special to him and the rest of the group.

And they know that Chief Cliff and their hundreds of family and followers will be keeping tabs from back home.

“I’m always shooting for the gold, and this trip will do that in the memories,” Kenmille said.