I had the supreme honor and pleasure of attending a concert of Brule and the American Indian Rock Opera at the RFD TV Theater in Branson, Missouri.  What I love most about this group is not the fabulous and moving music or the breathtaking dancing, although their performance is truly spectacular and not to be missed.

What I love most is the message of love and reconciliation Brule & AIRO bring to 2 races with a dark history between them. Paul never knew his Lakota heritage. As a child, he was sent to live in mainstream America at a time when being Native American was hidden. This protected Paul and gave him a different life than his brother Moses lived on the reservation.

When I teach people about telling your Core Story, sometimes people get confused about when to start. Like any storyteller, you start where the action starts.

When you start your core story where the action starts, you are sure to engage your audience and create an emotional connection.

After the death of his adoptive parents, who loved him dearly, Paul finally discovered his Lakota heritage. On a fateful Thanksgiving Day, he met his birth family. Thus began his quest and mission to bring unity and understanding between Native and mainstream America.

Here is a snippet from the biography on the Brule site:

“Occasionally an event occurs of such significance that it forever changes the way you perceive life itself. In November, 1993 such an event occurred for Paul LaRoche. Paul, adopted at birth off the Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservation, discovered his Lakota heritage in 1993 after the death of both adoptive parents. He was reunited on Thanksgiving Day 1993 with a brother, sister, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. The discovery of his true heritage has greatly affected Paul’s life and those around him. The influence on his career has been monumental. Overwhelmed by the experience, Paul has turned his powerful feelings to humanitarian causes through music.“

Because Paul accepted the hero’s journey to which he had been called (not the life he planned), Brule and AIRO have created a whole new category of Native American music that honors the past while creating a new sound for the present and a living legacy for future generations of reconciled people to understand each other.

Enjoy a video of their music and dance.

They caused an entire new category in music and music awards to come into being: Contemporary Native American Music. They have been named Native America Music Group of the Year 3 times.

As you look at their story, contemplate your own.

How do you tell the story of you – your Core Story? Your story will come from both passion and pain – from the life you chose AND the life you did not. For example, Paul’s love of music was nurtured by his adoptive parents at a time when he did not know his birth culture at all. When he learned of his heritage and began to understand Native America, brought the tools of choice (his music) together with the unexpected life (his Native heritage) into harmony by accepting his call to adventure.

His daughter Nicole took the first musical journey with him and adapted her study of classical flute to create her own unique sound that combines her classical training with a Native American flair. While she plays the traditional wooden flute, she uses the classical flute in concert, because for a woman to play a wooden flute is a cultural taboo. The way she plays her music provides the sound and feeling you anticipate from Native American music while still honoring her cultural heritage.

While I have loved to create stories since I was a toddler, studying the spiritual traditions and mythology of the world with the help of Joseph Campbell called me to an adventure of bringing peace and unity that I would not have discovered any other way. Now I bring storytelling both as a tool for business and primarily as a self discovery and peace tool into my work, which is truly a calling of the heart.

I invite you to work with me and create your Core Story and discover where your own hero’s journey is leading you.

Resources

Visit the Storytelling Templates page to begin your journey of understanding and exploration.

I did a 90 minute workshop that takes you through discovering your own story power for your life and business. You’ll discover the hero’s journey story in a way that makes it easy for you to understand and apply. Bring home the Story Power storytelling DVD

YOU are a natural born storyteller.  Claim your power and live from it!

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