Disney The Autry and Music LA Present American Indian Heritage Month

Today marked the sixth , Native American Heritage Month for Music LA in association with the Autry Museum and sponsored by Walt Disney Studios. The weather was very auspicious and remained warm until nearly the end of the event. The focus was the performances of Native American  children who were so colorfully dressed, that one would have thought that a rainbow itself performed along side of them.  Ron Andrade who is the head of Los Angeles City /County Native American Indian Commission invited our cameras eyes to come out and take a view of this spectacular event.     Southern California Indian Center, which began in 1969, also provides assistance to American Indians in the area of general welfare, and eliminating barriers to education.  The program offers children an opportunity to learn the their rich musical heritage through the sacred drum.  The children also learned how to make their own drum, songs, and dances of the pow-wow culture.  Did you know that there are more than 250 tribal cultures represented in the Los Angeles  –DCA started Music LA as a way to shed light on the array of diverse cultures in the Southern California area, including African Americans, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, Latinos and Asians.  The organization works within a network of local city officials, like Ron Andrade, Disney and the Autry Museum to present programs like this in order to give each an opportunity to showcase similarities and cultural differences.


The network boast professional music education service providers who offer hands on instrumental and vocal music classes for these community based programs who would not have a chance to learn, otherwise.  Unfortunately, there are far too many ears, unwilling to hear the problems of these community programs, eyes that refuse to see the issues in these communities and prevent others from seeing, noses that don’t want to smell the lack of educational funding sources that don’t reach these communities and mouths that won’t open to speak out loud.
The programs monthly sessions are sponsored by the Walt Disney Company in partnership with the office of LA Mayor, Antonio R. Villaraigosa.  This year’s Music LA American Indian Involvement, Inc.  Southern California Indian Center, Inc., William Madrigal, Jr. and Torres Martinez Tribal TANF. The events purpose is to inspire youth to use music as a cultural bridge of communication, and and as a means to express themselves artistically.
For more information on the United American Indian Involvement, Southern California Indian Center, Inc and the Native American Drum Song and Dance Program.
For more information on the Music LA Program please visit the www.culturela.org.
This has been another Ankh Entertainment and Stones In The Color Of Rare productions.