SHARPS CORNER, SD -- The singing and storytelling duo, Terry and Darlene Wildman of Rain Song performed July 23, in White Clay, Neb. at the Hands of Faith Mission, July 24, at the Pine Ridge Jail, and at the Sharps Corner Baptist Mission. The group presents a unique blend of American Indian culture and Christianity into a folk-rock music style, using American Indian instruments, melodies and storytelling to share a powerful and positive message of love to Native Peoples across the United States.



"We are dedicating our time and the gifts Creator has given us to serve the First Nations People of North America; working and praying to see dignity and harmony restored to individuals, families, clans, and tribal nations. We believe that the message of Creator’s Son, Jesus, is for all people and will transform the lives of all who follow Him. But we also believe that the message must be embraced within the context of every culture to be effective”, said Terry Wildman. “It’s time to take a new look at Jesus through Indian eyes and not let the dominant people control our views of him,” he said.



For the last decade the couple has been traveling full-time across North America and abroad sharing their message of Christ, the Creator’s Son without the baggage of religion, through their music, storytelling and teachings at American Indian gatherings, Powwows, conferences, reservations and at churches. Prior to taking their show on the road, the couple served with the Youth with a Mission ministry for nearly five years on the Hopi and Navajo Reservations in Arizona. They currently reside in Indiana and travel seven months out of the year. Their ministry is supported by financial gifts from organizations, churches, businesses and individuals. Pastor Mike Brennan of the Sharps Corner Baptist Mission invited and made the arrangements for Rain Song to visit the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.



Terry is of Ojibwa and Yaqui descent and his wife Darlene is of Irish ancestry. He believes that no matter what our ancestry, it is important to embrace our culture and who we are. To become everything God created us to be we must start with who we are, not who we wish we were. This includes remembering the tragedies that still haunt American Indian populations, like the Massacre at Wounded Knee, or the present reality of reservation life. Wildman said that his trip to White Clay brought him “deep sadness, and disbelief.” The homeless have touched their hearts. “Everywhere I go I will tell people to pray for this place. So many people don’t know the story of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation or of Wounded Knee and that people are still reeling over this event. We really can’t move forward until we see healing happen here,” he said.



Rain Song visited the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation eight years prior. From their trip the song “Wounded Heart” was inspired. The message of the song is of a heart that cries for justice in the midst of lies, and finds that a true warrior’s heart is the heart of forgiveness. He said that when we struggle with forgiveness those issues are being stirred up in us so that we recognize that we can’t forgive without the help of God. “When we surrender to God it is not in defeat but in victory. He doesn’t treat us as defeated people, but lifts us up and puts us in our proper place in his glory,” said Wildman.



Wildman said that the European settlers had the words right in the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal and are free to pursue happiness, but these words



were not walked out. “This nation miserably failed these words. We can’t allow history to become something it isn’t. The Bible is a book of history both good and bad. It includes all the failures and mistakes for us to learn from. We can’t forget what’s happened to our Native Peoples,” he said.



Terry sings and plays guitar and drums. His wife, Darlene plays a variety of various styles, techniques and types of American Indian flutes. The captivating American Indian flute music is an invitation to a state of mind all too often lost in our modern-day hustle and bustle with computers, cell phones, iPod’s and TV’s. When you slow down and truly listen, American Indian flute music is the sound of nature itself, a combination of a soaring hawk, the wind whispering through night pines, the melancholy cry of the loon, or the lone wolf howling at the moon. If you seek peace in your life, this music can help you along your journey.



The duo has written and produced a total of five CD’s; four music CD’s - “Sacred Warrior”, “Rising Sun”, “Rise Up and Dance” and their latest “Hoop of Life,” which was released January, 2010. Terry said the inspiration for their latest CD came from the medicine wheel. “The Sacred Book, or the Bible speaks of many circles. The First People of North America knew the spiritual power of this mystery, which they called the Sacred Hoop, or Medicine Wheel, or Hoop of Life. When the circle is complete everything is in balance. We believe Jesus restored the Hoop of Life that was broken by the sins of man. Jesus will bring everything full circle so that we can be the people he created us to be. Only with Jesus can all the colors come together, where no one color dominates the circle. All colors are represented in the church of Jesus Christ. We want to see all colors come together. We need the gifts God gave our Native People to take their proper place in the church.”



They have also recorded a storytelling CD with music called “The Great Story from the Sacred Book,” which they won a Native American Music Award (NAMA) for at the 2009 annual awards ceremony in the category of “Best Spoken Word Recording.” The CD features Bible stories told American Indian style.



In 2004, Rain Song was nominated for a Grammy award and two NAMA’s. In 2005, they won the “American Christian Music Award” for the category of “Favorite Band/Duo – Breakout”. In 2008, at the Native American Music Awards they were nominated for Best Song of the Year for “All Colors Together” and for “Best Gospel Recording” for their CD “Rise Up and Dance”.



Rain Song recently performed at the Sing to the Mountains Music Festival, June 25- 27, at Camp Yeshua, Okla. It was the first ever American Indian Christian music concert, featuring three drum groups, nine American Indian Christian bands or artists, Powwow dancers, and traditional arts and crafts . The event was the result of the efforts of Jonathan Maracle of the Canadian band Broken Walls. Maracle said, “You can walk into a Hispanic church with your eyes closed, and by listening to the sounds of worship, know you’re in a Hispanic church. The same with an Asian church, or a black Gospel church. But if you go into a Native church with your eyes closed, you couldn’t tell it was a Native church. We are the only culture in the world that was told we couldn’t come to Christ without culture, and to be Christians we couldn’t come as we were.”



Even in the Mission churches in reservations across the United States only one to two percent of church goers are American Indians, said Wildman. He said he has only seen a few churches who truly blend American Indian culture with Christianity and each find their own lines to draw between what is appropriate and what is not. Wildman was astonished to hear that Rapid



City’s American Indian ministry, the Miracle Center, pastored by Quincy Afraid of Lightning has a 98 percent American Indian population, each Sunday.



Rain Song hopes to return again next year and stay in the Black Hills area for approximately a month. If you would like them to visit your area or would like more information about them visit their website at www.rainsongmusic.com.