The new Clan Dyken album, Plantcestors is ready for release on Earth Day – April 22nd this year. 12 new tracks from the brothers Dyken, with Kris Osward on bass and vocals, Silas Dyken on keys and vocals, and special guests Brandi Mack on spoken word and Debra Debora Olguin on vocals. Songs for the Earth and her people. You’ll be able to hear samples and download the songs on 4/22 – at clandyken.hearnow.com/plancestors.
Beauty Way 2022
New Year’s Show
New Album On the Way
CD YouTube Channel
Happy New Year and all the best as we move into 2023. We’re still happy to be jamming and have a lot to be grateful for and look forward to. Thanks for being part of the journey.
Beauty Way 2022
2022 was a better year than the last two before it but we still didn’t get into the groove of live shows like we’d grown so used to before the pandemic. We did get out for a few live shows, including a good time in Nevada County where we did our only Beauty Way shows of the year at the North San Juan Cultural Center and The Wild Eyed Pub in Grass Valley in November.
A few days after the show Bear, Lanora, and I jammed into my Prius with a few instruments and a little overnight gear and headed to Flagstaff where we rented a Toyota 4-Runner, hooked up with our old friend Mikkel Grevdig who drove from his home in Okanogan near the Canadian border in Washington and made our way to the home of Mary Katherine Smith, in the shadow of Big Mountain deep into the Dine’ Nation. We spent a few nights on the floor of her guest hogan, sharing it for one night with Wonder Woman, AKA Darlene Markey from North San Juan, and her wonderful helper Anita.
Dar, along with our great friends and long-time supporters Brian and Michelle from Williams, OR had already delivered most of the food and supplies so we had more time to visit and play music for Mary Katherine and her Companion Ned, and a small gathering of activists the first night we were there. The highlight of the evening was MK getting up to tell the story of the first visit to the rez by the tie-dyed hippies of the Hog Farm back in the early 1970s. With Bear and I playing a vamp behind her she launched into a spontaneous spoken word piece with colorful descriptions of how she became a Dead Head after that visit, including a section on how a bunch of the elders came and spoke from the stage at a show. It was incredible.
After a cozy night in the hogan under clear, cold, starry skies with the Milky Way so thick and lustrous it looked like a stream we woke in the morning, packed Dar’s trailer full of food and dog food, and went off to make deliveries. In all, a total of 65 units made up of boxes of dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, dog food, clothing, and other supplies were delivered. We hired local crews to cut and deliver firewood to over 50 households.
The next morning Mary Katherine’s sister and neighbor, Marie Gladue, and her partner Arvin came to visit us in the hogan. Marie is working on her master’s degree. She is studying Indigenous sustainable community development and how to integrate the old traditional ways of planning and decision-making into contemporary life. She told us about how the shape of the hogan represented the concentric circles of family, community, clan, tribe, and the greater world. She talked about a four directions model of decision-making and how doing things this way mattered in every phase of life especially raising children and keeping a family together. There are reasons for the way things are done – it’s an ancient wisdom that was developed over a millennium of working with and being part of the natural world. Listening to her explain it reminded me of something I’ve been talking about for a long time. People here have answers to questions we haven’t figured out how to ask yet. It was a short master class in mindfulness, which traditional people were practicing long before the outside civilized world ever came up with that name for it. She made me want to be a better person and think more deeply about the way I go about my daily life.
We left later that morning with another load headed to Sand Springs via Coal Mine Canyon. On the way out we stopped to pay our respects at the homestead of John Benally. John passed away this year under some mysterious circumstances and we dedicated this year’s run to him and our long-time companion and supporter, Michael Gerell. I was sad to see his place shuttered up and the land devoid of animals or people. John was a lifelong resister to forced relocation and colonialism. People from the outside world might find it hard to believe how well-educated, articulate, and insightful people who live without electricity, running water, mass media, the internet, and other modern tools and conveniences can be unless they have the opportunity to spend time with them out here. John was someone who could really surprise folks that way. He was an outstanding public speaker who pulled audiences in when he would come on tour with us and speak at shows. Rest in Beauty, my friend.
We made it to Coal Mine Canyon and learned that Anna Begay, who we have been visiting for nearly 30 years has been moved to a nursing home. She lived alone at the very end of a mesa protruding into a beautiful labyrinth of canyons for many years after her husband passed away. She had horses, sheep, goats, dogs, cats, and the natural world all around her. Even as her eyesight dimmed and her body started fading away Anna fought to stay in her home, on the land where she felt she belonged. It’s hard to think of her in an institutional setting.
We made it to Sand Springs for the last of our deliveries and a chance to spend the night with the Yazzie family in another guest hogan. We played music for the extended family. The set was heavy with kid songs and a good time was had by all. The next day Woody Yazzie took us on a long hike into the backcountry around the family compound. He told us some of the history of what was once the thriving community of Sand Springs. Now only a few scattered families remain.
The next day we left Sand Springs and caught up with Louise Benally, her partner Ethan, one of her daughters, and a few grandkids in Winslow. Like her brother John, Lousie has been an activist all her life. I can only imagine how hard it is to have a foot in two worlds. She has traveled the country and the world in so many different capacities but always brings the story of her people and the need for equity and justice for indigenous people worldwide but her heart is still on the land where she grew up. It was great to see her, Ethan, and the kids and swap some stories.
The next morning, we returned the 4-Runner, parted ways with Mikkel, and headed back to California. Another whirlwind week on the Beauty Way run was over. As always I feel we’ve received more than we can give and I’m grateful for the support from all of you that makes this exchange possible.
New Years’ Eve in Trinity County
If you’re traveling to the north country fair on New Year’s Eve you could join us in Junction City, west of Weaverville for a great party. We’ll be rocking the Grange Hall and looking forward to the midnight fireworks. It’s always a fun time in Trinity. Folks up there really know how to throw a party.
New Album On the Way
We’ve finished recording a collection of all new songs. The album is going through the mastering process and we are looking at a release in early 2023. We are also planning to tour again starting in spring. Stay tuned.
Clan Dyken YouTube Channel
You are all invited to check out the new Clan Dyken YouTube Channel. Follow the link to see the Good Morning Grandmother video.
We are planning to use this electronic venue as we go forward. It’s very helpful if you take the time to like and subscribe. When we get 1000 subscribers we’ll be able to stream live from the YouTube platform, so please take a minute and subscribe.