Kevin locke biography
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There's a point at which you can't express yourself with pure words, and that's where the music comes in."
Locke received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Dakota and a Master's in Education Administration from the University of South Dakota, and has pursued doctoral studies.
"There is a great need to continue the work of bridging the gap between the Indian and non-Indian cultures of South Dakota," he said. From elders in the tribe, he learned to make and play traditional wooden flutes.
In the late 1970s, he attempted to "revive and diffuse an appreciation for the Lakota/Dakota flute tradition." He said, "At the time I started this revival, the last exponent of the flute-playing tradition, Richard Fool Bull, had already departed from this life.
As a folk artist, he uses his talents to teach others about his specific tribal background. Locke is a preeminent player of the Native American flute, a traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador, recording artist, fluent Lakota language and sign language speaker, and educator.
About Kevin Locke
Kevin Locke
Kevin Locke (Tokaheya Inajin in Lakota translation “First to Rise”) is a world famous visionary Hoop Dancer, preeminent player of the Indigenous Northern Plains flute, traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador, recording artist and educator.
In 1990, he won a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest award granted to such traditional artists. Even though Locke has performed in many prestigious venues to innumerable dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela and Dalai Lama, his favorite audience continues to be children and youth. "I see myself strictly as a preservationist," he said.
He shares this prayer with children and adults alike, ranging from fifty to 55,000 people at a time. I try to show younger people what was there, and maybe some of the younger people will pick up from there (and compose new music). His special joy is working with children on the reservations to ensure the survival and growth of indigenous culture.
Engage
Kevin is a musical and dance hero to children worldwide.
His workshops not only involves students in learning how to construct a traditional flute but learn how to play Native American songs.
Empower
Kevin’s goal is to empower today’s youth in culture and “raise awareness of the Oneness we share as human beings.” His belief in the unity of humankind is expressed dramatically in the traditional Hoop Dance which illustrates “the roles and responsibilities that all human beings have within the hoops (circles) of life.
reflects Kevin.
"I have been able to teach countless Indian and non-Indian children to sing, to dance, to stand inside the hoop of Indian culture, and I know that this experience will have lasting influence with regard to future positive race relations within the state."
In his presentations, Locke performs on his flute and demonstrates the Sioux hoop dance, using 28 wooden hoops.
This allows his audience to immerse themselves in the art of storytelling through dance and music, a deep rooted tradition in his culture. He learned many courting and love songs by hearing them sung. "Through my music and dance, I want to create a positive awareness of the Oneness of humanity."
Since 1982, Kevin has recorded twelve albums of music and stories, most recently The First Flute, Open Circle, Keepers of the Dream, and Dream Catcher.
Kevin Locke dedicates his life's work to Baha'u'llah.
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He has served as cultural ambassador for the United States Information Service since 1980, was a delegate to the 1992 Earth Summit in Brazil, and was a featured performer and speaker at the 1996 United Nations Habitat II Conference in Turkey.Through my music and dance, I want to create a positive awareness of oneness of humanity.”
Bio
Kevin Locke was born June 23, 1954, on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota. He is most known for his hoop dance, The Hoop of Life. Born in 1954 in Southern California, at the age of five, Locke moved north with his family, and later settled in South Dakota on the Standing Rock Reservation in 1966.
It was from his mother Patricia Locke, his uncle Abraham End-of-Horn, mentor Joe Rock Boy, and many other elders and relatives that he received training in the values, traditions, and language of his native Sioux culture.
He spends much of his time, when not performing, working in different aspects of education.
Kevin Locke
Kevin Locke (Lakota name: Tȟokéya Inážiŋ, meaning “The First to Arise”) is Lakota (Hunkpapa band) and Anishinaabe. Universality of human spirit, its inclination towards peace, balance, harmony, and a longing that all human beings have for the Divine Springtime are a few central themes that he displays in his hoop dance, which is essentially a prayer for the unification of all mankind.