Buffy Sainte-Marie, singer-songwriter and member of the Cree Nation, will perform at 7:30 p.m. May 15 at Kimball Recital Hall, 11th and R streets.
Sainte-Marie is best known for her 1960s protest anthems, incendiary powwow rock and powerful songwriting, for which she won an Academy Award ("Up Where We Belong" from 1982's "An Officer and a Gentleman"). She was also a regular on "Sesame Street" in the mid-1970s.
The Center for Great Plains Studies at UNL is bringing Sainte-Marie to campus to conclude the "Standing Bear and the Trail Ahead" symposium, a two-day event May 14 and 15 developed in collaboration with the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs and supported by Woods Charitable Fund and the Cooper Foundation. The symposium will explore the status, challenges, opportunities and achievements of Natives and First Peoples.
Sainte-Marie's new album, "Power in the Blood," will be released May 12. Her stop in Lincoln is part of a tour that includes shows in North America, Australia and the United Kingdom. She played several shows in March with British singer Morrissey and headlined a show in London.
During the Vietnam era, Sainte-Marie's profile in the United States diminished significantly. Recognizing the power of songwriting and activism, the Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon administrations considered her an "artist to be suppressed," particularly her song "Universal Solider," and Sainte-Marie all but disappeared from the U.S. music industry.
"Power in the Blood" is a reminder that it is futile to silence artists or to put Sainte-Marie in any single category. Often pegged as a folk singer — particularly by past record labels that either failed or were unwilling to see how far ahead of the curve she was — Sainte-Marie never fully fit in with her 1960s contemporaries.
The symposium also features presentations and talks by author Sherman Alexie, national TV correspondent Hattie Kauffman, attorney Wilson Pipestem, actor Moses Brings Plenty, public official Ponka-We Victors and activist Winona LaDuke.
Concert tickets can be purchased for $35 in advance and $40 at the door (if available) at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q St., during museum hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Kimball Recital Hall's doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the auditorium opening at 7:30 p.m. Seating is open.
Tickets are available online at http://www.unl.edu/plains/2015-symposium. Registration for the symposium is not required to buy concert tickets.
Several free events also will take place in conjunction with the symposium:
• Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve will read from her book "Standing Bear of the Ponca" on the steps of Morrill Hall at 10:30 a.m. May 14. She will be joined by the Native American St. Augustine Dance Troupe.
• Two films will screen at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 N. 13th St. "The Cherokee Word for Water" will begin at 1 p.m. May 14 and will feature a discussion after the show with actor Moses Brings Plenty. "Standing Bear's Footsteps" begins at 3 p.m. and includes a talk afterward with author Joe Starita and NET producer Christine Lesiak.
• Winona LaDuke will speak at 7:30 p.m. May 14 at Kimball Recital Hall. LaDuke is a Native activist, environmentalist, economist and writer, and is known for her work on tribal land claims and preservation.
— Katie Nieland, Center for Great Plains Studies