J.R. Spencer

Take a journey with J.R. back to the time of Tit-wah-tit (Legend Days), and learn how Coyote created people, why animals look the way they do today and why they behave the way they do. Learn why the landscape id shaped the way it is, and how the knowledge of the people was passed down from generation to generation.
You'll hear stories and music of the Nez Perce people. You will laugh and have a good time; and if you're not careful, you may just learn something along the way.
For Native people, a legend was more than just an hour's entertainment. By hearing these adventures again and again, a child gathered a great deal of practical information about their surroundings. These stories were the first formal education that a native child would receive. For example, the story, "Skunk Goes Looking For His Scent," mentions the names of 22 plants and tells whether they taste sweet or bitter. A child would learn to identify the markings and characteristic behavior of various animals.
Perhaps the most important lessons to be found in these tales, are of a moral nature. To help a child become a good person was the main goal of their education.

J.R. Spencer, also known as Whitebull, is a Nez Perce/Ojibwe artisan, educator, and performing artist of Native culture and living traditions of his people. J.R. brings to audiences, the rich history of native stories and traditional music in a moving, fun, and entertaining manner. He strives to present the history and culture of Native people in a lighthearted yet respectful way. He gives to audiences a sense of history, and aspects of Native culture that you won't find in history books. J.R. shows the world that there is a lighter side to being Native. In both recordings and video productions, he takes audiences on a journey through time, from Legend Days to modern times, and back again.

"Most people focus on the conflicts our people had through history, there by identifying us by those conflicts. And many Natives have adopted that identity. This is totally wrong. Because we Native people are so much more than that. We have so much more to offer the world, culturally, spiritually, and intellectually." -J.R. Spencer

I'll require a room for a quick wardrobe change, a side table (card table or piano bench), and a bottle of water. A microphone will be required depending on the size of the venue. I prefer a lapel or headset type of mic, but a microphone on a boom stand will be sufficient.