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Indigo Girls, Winona LaDuke to present 'living-room style' concert, talk

By Jacob Erickson '06
March 18, 2003

On Thursday, April 10, Grammy Award-winning musicians Indigo Girls and Native environmental activist Winona LaDuke will give a live performance in Skoglund Center Auditorium at St. Olaf College as part of their Honor the Earth tour.

Winona LaDuke
LaDuke
Doors will open at 8 p.m., and the event begins at 9 p.m. with talks by Indigo Girls and LaDuke, followed by a 45-minute acoustic performance by Indigo Girls. Tickets cost $10 and are available by calling the Student Activities office: 507-646-3999.

This innovative, "living room style" tour combines talks with music to generate political dialogue and action around the energy future of this country.

Indigo Girls combines the vocal and acoustic talents of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. Their shows convey their passion for fresh musical ideas and live performance, their respect for their audience and each other, and their commitment to peace and social justice. They have several albums, the most recent being Become You.

Indigo Girls have previously headlined four Honor the Earth concert tours to raise money for Native groups working on front-line environmental issues in communities across the country. This year they are taking their message of environmental activism directly to college campuses.

"When I was in college one thing that was sorely lacking from my education was exposure to the indigenous perspective and approach to activism, specifically around cultural and environmental sustainability," Ray says.

"I don't believe we can be activists without contemplating the effects of manifest destiny on the development of our country and its relationship to all aspects of our current movement for human and environmental dignity. The struggle for a sustainable and tolerant world community has always been embraced by student activists."

Winona LaDuke is an Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe) enrolled member of the Mississippi Band of Anishinaabeg and the mother of three children. LaDuke is a 1982 graduate of Harvard, program director of Honor the Earth and founding director of White Earth Land Recovery Project. In 1994, she was named one of America's 50 most promising leaders under 40 years of age by Time magazine. She is the author of several books, including Last Standing Woman and All Our Relations.

The Honor the Earth tour began in 1993, raising money and awareness for grassroots Native environmental projects. This year's tour will focus on Native American environmental justice issues and on alternative forms of energy. All net tour proceeds will go to support Honor the Earth's Energy Justice Initiative to support alternative energy -- and especially, wind power -- in Native America.

St. Olaf College, a national leader among liberal arts institutions, fosters the development of mind, body and spirit. It is a residential college in Northfield, Minn., and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college provides personalized instruction and diverse learning environments, with nearly two-thirds of its students participating in international studies.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.