Teach Me Song
Elisa Harkins’ Teach Me a Song is an ongoing project rooted in Indigenous language revitalization and song preservation, exploring the complex relationships between music, memory, and cultural sovereignty. Presented at the Center For Native Futures, this iteration of Teach Me a Song includes Hold Her Pillow Tight and Grandmother’s Song, along with the accompanying videos for each piece.
The exhibition delves into the intergenerational transmission of knowledge and the role of song as a vessel for cultural continuity. By focusing on peer-to-peer exchanges and Indigenous-centered methodologies, Harkins reimagines the framework of ethnomusicology, shifting away from extractive practices to emphasize reciprocal relationships and collaborative learning.
Through these works, Harkins underscores the vitality of Indigenous song traditions as living, breathing expressions of resilience and identity, inviting viewers to engage in an intimate and dynamic dialogue about the power of music to connect past, present, and future.
For more info: Teach Me a Song project: Link
Elisa Harkins
Elisa Harkins is a multidisciplinary artist and citizen of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, also of Cherokee descent. Grounded in their cultural heritage, they work across mediums, including music, dance, sculpture, video, and textile art, to celebrate their ancestors’ legacy and contribute to the revitalization of Indigenous languages and traditions.
A pioneer in blending contemporary music with the Cherokee language, their work resonates with themes of sovereignty, language preservation, and Indigenous history. They are deeply committed to exploring and honoring ceremonial practices such as the Peyote ceremony, hand-drumming, and traditional hymns like Heleluyvn (Hallelujah)—a 200-year-old Muscogee hymn that features prominently in their creative projects.
Their recent endeavors include Wampum / ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᎦᎫᏗ, supported by the First People's Fund, and a documentary titled Ekvnv (Land), The Sacred Mother From Which We Came, supported by Creative Capital. The documentary investigates the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s ancestral ties to Angel Mounds and reexamines claims about Mississippian habitation in the area.
When not creating, Harkins practices meditation, attends sweat lodge ceremonies, and remains engaged in the Land Back movement.