Purdue News
Purdue News
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February 17, 2003 Kevin Locke brings Lakota traditions to Fowler HallWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Kevin Locke, a member of the Lakota tribe, will present a performance featuring the Northern Plains indigenous flute and the Native American hoop dance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, in Fowler Hall. Admission is $10 for general public, $7 for Purdue students and children K-12. Tickets can be purchased at Purdue University box offices or charged by phone at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. Locke is presented by Purdue Convocations. Locke's Lakota name is Tokeya Inajin, meaning "The First to Arise." He is known throughout the world as a hoop dancer, a preeminent player of the indigenous Northern Plains flute, a traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador, recording artist and educator. Locke is Lakota (Hunkpapa Band of Lakota Sioux) and Anishinabe. It was from his mother, Patricia Locke, his uncle Abraham End-of-Horn, mentor Joe Rock Boy, and many other elders and relatives that Kevin received training in the values, traditions and language of his native culture. Locke's concerts and presentations at performing arts centers, festivals, schools, universities, conferences, state and national parks, monuments and historic sites, powwows and reservations number in the hundreds annually. Approximately 80 percent of his presentations are to children. He also says he enjoys working with children on reservations to ensure the survival and growth of indigenous culture. Locke is acknowledged as a pivotal force in the revival of the indigenous flute tradition which teetered on the brink of extinction just 20 years ago. In 1990, Locke was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts that recognized him as a "Master traditional artist who has contributed to the shaping of our artistic traditions and to preserving the cultural diversity of the United States." Locke says, "My goal is to raise awareness of the oneness we share as human beings. I believe that the unity of humankind is expressed in the traditional hoop dance I perform, which illustrates the roles and responsibilities that all human beings have within the hoops, or circles, of life." Touring for two decades, Locke has performed and lectured in nearly 80 countries, sharing his vision of balance, joy and diversity. He has served as a cultural ambassador for the United States Information Service since 1980. Committed to the conservation of Earth's resources for future generations, Locke was a delegate to the 1992 Earth Summit in Brazil and a featured performer and speaker at the 1996 United Nations Habitat II Conference in Turkey. "All of the people have the same impulses, spirit and goals," Locke says. "Through my music and dance, I want to create a positive awareness of the oneness of humanity." CONTACT: Larry Sommers, Purdue Convocations, (765) 494-5045, lsommers@purdue.edu NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A publication-quality photograph of Kevin Locke is available at ftp://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/locke.k.jpeg. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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