Tribal Voices, an awesome full range of Native American programming reflects a time of sacred ceremonies, spiritual paths, and a culture from the perspective of the musical journeys traveled by our Native American ancestors on the plains, valleys and woodlands of this vast continent when the birth of our nation was still just an idea and a hope.
Sacred teachings of old values, ancient songs of the people, and the spirit of living together in harmony as one with Mother Earth is the philosophy of Tribal Voices as a message of Native Americans and many indigenous peoples around the globe.
This program is respectfully dedicated to all women and Mother Earth -- life givers to us all -- and to the people who want to begin wiping away the tears of racism, and cultivating the preservation of the traditional beliefs in harmony, respect, compassion, and the honoring of oneself and others.
But Tribal voices is alot more than just that... it's all about honoring all women, all our children, our elders, and Mother earth for starters. It's about ethnic and cultural diversity for all people, for we are all the same when it comes to music - and that's because "music is universal". The source of all music is deep within all of us -- whether musicians or listeners. The spirit of music is the Creator's gift "dressed in many colors and races as rhythms, melodies and harmonies."
Where it all Started...
Tribal Voices features Native American music along with music from other indigeniuos "native people" from around the world, as well as local, regional, and national information from Native American communities, including events, pow wow listings links, and issues.
If you know of an event that needs to be aired, contact Paul through his e-mail address.
The name "Tribal Voices " was a stem off of John Trudell's first cd called Tribal Voice which was released in 1983. The radio program's name of Tribal Voices was copyright in 1989 just before Paul Leon began airing the show on WCK
While teaching Native American Art at Grand Valley State University he "pestered" the radio station management there to start a Native American program on their Allendale, Michigan campus. Finally, after six months of prodding, they agreed to give a Native American program a try but only on one condition - that Paul would host the show. Not having any radio background, he reluctantly agreed, was trained in the radio studio do's and don'ts, and the rest is history.
By 1997 Tribal Voices was WCKS' longest running and most popular, show as well as accumulating the most air time hours during the week over any other program casting out of WCKS.
In the summer of 1993, a real "commercial radio station" in Grand Rapids, WYCE, also requested air time of Tribal Voices (finally, a paying gig... yehaa!). Paul later moved south to the Indiana/Kentucky/Illinios area in October of 1998 and was soon cutting the air waves on WVHI, a local station of Evansville, Indiana. Upon returning to north, Tribal Voices also returned to Michigan and is now a regular part of WNMC 90.7 FM since June of 2007, airing Sunday evenings 8 pm - 12 am.
The Host's Bio
Paul Leon is of Native American desent of both the Cherokee and Lumbee Nations. He is of the Paint Clan (also know as the Painted Turtle Clan or just Turtle Clan for short). Paul was given the spirit name of Koma-Doot Mushka-Dah Pezshe-Kah (Walking Buffalo Spirit) and received his name in a sweat lodge naming ceremony on the Garden River - First Nation Reservation in Garden River, Canada, his second naming ceremony since his childhood.Email Paul by clicking here Here is Paul's profile. Born in northern Indiana and raised in western Michigan. Paul is the former owner/operator of the largest chain of Native American Arts & Crafts stores plus a high end Native American Art Gallery that was located in Newaygo, Michigan. He also traveled the Pow Wow circuit for many years as a dancer and Pow Wow trader of arts and crafts. He taught Native American Art at Grand Valley State University as well as a neighboring correctional facility (Kent County Honor Camp), and his stores sponsored Grand Valley 's Native American Student Association for over a decade.
Paul has served in the capacity of Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of the Grand Rapids Inter-Tribal Council, and formed the Council's first substance abuse program while he was in office. He also served as an Administrative Assistant for the North American Indian Center, and has the honor of being a carrier of a Sacred C'nunpa and is asked to facilitate ceremonies of prayer and healing. On a personal level, Paul is an accomplished multimedia artist who also makes traditional Native American regalia, cedar flutes, sacred ceremonial items, and other non-native items such as snow shoes, ornate walkng sticks, as well as ties fishing flies. He is a writer of poetry, educational curriculumns, and spiritual materials, as well as a self-taught Native American flutist, who has now taken up the banjo. As an avid outdoorsman who enjoys kayaking, canoeing, fishing, cliff climbing, small mountain climbing, and horseback riding. Paul is owned by two horses, "Spirit" and "Bentley". Spirit is a very spirited four year old Morgan / Standard Breed mix. Bentley is a four year old registered Tennessee Walker. His regestered name is Bad Boy Bentley but everyone just calls him by Bentley. Both are blood bay geldings and they look like brothers. He resigned in the fall of 2007 (due to his NMC class load) as the Community Outreach Coordinator and Support Group Facilitator for Project Unity for Life. At that time he had dedicated more than a year of full time service to their organization as a volunteer in those capacities. Project Unity is a local organization that aids addicts in resolving life issues as well as aiding returning citizens from incarceration to break the cycle of returning to prison or jail by changing their life style. Project Unity operates an in house incarceration mentoring program and also runs support groups in Pugsley Prison and the local county jails in the surrounding Traverse City area. He was recently been asked to take over the position of "Director of Operations" which also meant being on their Board of Directors, soon thereafter he also took on heading up the marketing for Project Unity. As a published writer, Paul has written a number of curriculums for the teams entering these correctional facilities. In the past few months, Paul has completed all the neccessary courses to obtain a "prison clearance" to enter Pugsley prison with the other men in these support teams to counsel addicts returning to the free world with an emphasis of increasing their odds of not returning to prison. Paul also writes native educational curriculums for the Kwayachiiwin Educational Research Center in Ontario, Canada.
Paul started Tribal Voices as a means to increasing the public's awareness of Native American culture, spirituality, and traditional ways through both art and music.
As their youngest art student (age 14) he attended Grand Rapids' Kent Skills Center Commercial Art program and then went on to Ferris State University for Commercial Art & Design. He also attended Grand Rapids Community College for a degree in Psychology & Philosophy with the goal of becoming a substance abuse counselor. In 1990, Paul purchased a nine bedroom home and opened up a homeless shelter for women and children who were homeless due to substance abuse issues in the family. Over 300 individuals went through that program which is amazing since no outside funding was accepted from any agencies or any city, county, state, or federal government sources. In 2000, was the beginning a new endeavor at Calvary Chapel Bible College to obtain a degree in Biblical Theology. His over-all three year gpa was 3.88. He has now returned to the college campus [again], as a full-time student at Northwestern Michigan College for two degrees - an associates in Fine Arts for Visual (Graphic Arts) & Sound Communications (Broadcasting and Sound Production). And a second associates in Art Directive.
He has been on the Dean's List at NMC since starting classes there, and is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the National University and Northwestern Michigan College Honor's Society with a 3.96 gpa after completing his second year at NMC. Paul is the recipient of the largest scholarship awarded by NMC for the up coming semesters of 2009 / 2010. Paul has also been the President of the Native American Student Association on the NMC campus for the past three years.
He has visions of starting a sound production and graphic design company. He wishes in the future to establish, own, and operate a personal [fully equipped] sound, graphics, and art studio. His desire is to share his knowledge and the equipment with people less unfortunate for educational, creative purposes, as well as a form of expression.
New to the Grand Traverse area, he moved to the Traverse City area 3 years ago this past April due to the bay and his love for water. Paul sports three kayaks, and a canoe; so fishing is a must. We hope that Paul will continue to bless Traverse City with a touch of Native American culture, language, spirituality, true diversity and traditional ways through art, graphics, and music.
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