Singing the Birds 2023
By Emily Clarke
My sister and I have been traditional Bird Dancers since we were very young, in fact, I was probably around seven years old when I first started learning to dance. Singing the Birds (hosted by the Agua Caliente Band of Indians) has always been one of our favorite events because we get to spend the entire day Bird Dancing. Oftentimes, when we attend Southern California powwows, Bird Singers and Dancers are invited to sing and dance for an hour or two during the dinner break. However, Singing the Birds prioritizes Bird and is one of the only events where the entire schedule is dedicated to it. Bird Singing is common throughout Southern California, Northern Baja, Western Arizona, and Southern Nevada, but is extremely prominent in the area I grew up in due to the tight-knit community of Cahuilla Bird Singers and Dancers. Singing the Birds often includes Bird Singing groups from Southern California tribes as well as a few Arizona tribes as well. Located at Palm Springs High School, it’s a great event for local non-Natives to learn more about Native culture, shop from Native small businesses, and try an Indian Taco.
This was the first time Singing the Birds happened since the COVID-19 pandemic, and after three years without the event, it felt so good to be able to attend again. This year, Agua Caliente asked my dad, Gerald Clarke (Cahuilla Band of Indians), to be the host of the event. He invited multiple Bird Singing groups including Painiktem Bird Singers (Lead singer Jimmy Gilmore), Torres Martinez Bird Singers (Lead singer Derek Duro), and Inter-Tribal Bird Singers (Lead singer Wayne Nelson). Kumeyaay Bird Singing group, Ashaa Takook (Lead singer Ral Christman) and Fort Mojave group Avi Kwa Ame Bird Singers (Lead singer Levi Evanston), and others also sang. Over 1500 people attended the event, and hundreds viewed the livestream online (which you can still watch here). I also created the very first News From Native California TikTok video about my experience at the event, which you can view here.
In between Bird Singing groups, there were also special presentations such as a welcome by Agua Caliente Chairman Reid D. Milanovich, an introduction of tribal royalty as well as an honor song, and a few words shared by host Gerald Clarke. In addition to participating in or watching the Bird Singing and Dancing, event attendees had the opportunity to browse the various vendors which included Native-owned small businesses, including Lopez Beading, Basketweaver Eva Salazar (Kumeyaay), various beadwork artists, and organizations such as the Idyllwild Arts Native American Arts Program. There were also a handful of food vendors outside the venue including the locally famous Jenny’s Cahuilla Indian Food Booth and various snowcone, hotdog, and snack booths.
Overall, the event was a fun opportunity to see friends, family, and loved ones who I hadn’t seen in awhile, Bird Dance with my sister and other local Native women, and share our culture with non-Native attendees. We look forward to attending again next year and want to extend our gratitude to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians for hosting.
