Bright and bouncy tones pulsed from an accordion. A seeming spontaneity resonated from a violin. Grounding, yet high-spirited notes rolled off of a piano.
The vibrant rhythms and melodies floated up through the headframe at the Original Mineyard before settling over the crowd as the Celtic and Quebecois band Cécilia opened this year’s Montana Folk Festival.
The Montana Folk Festival returned to Uptown Butte over the weekend, bringing diverse musical and cultural traditions to the Mining City.
The festival had more than 20 groups slated to perform on the festival’s six stages.
They included a Tlingit storyteller out of Washington, Tuvan throat singers from Russia, a Tunisian desert blues band based in New York, an all-female go-go group formed in Washington, D.C.
A gospel quintet from Virginia, a honky tonk musician out of Texas, a reggae DJ from Jamaica and a Western songwriter based in Phillipsburg also graced the stage.
At first glance, the eclectic lineup doesn’t seem to have much in common.
But the unifying factor is a commitment to carrying on tradition.
Eric Solano, a member of the Filipino dance group Parangal Dance Company, told the audience if they felt something during the performance, “that’s just our ancestors saying hello.”
At their core, folk festivals provide a space for communities to showcase their identity and history.
“Whether expressed through performance or tangible craft, folk and traditional arts convey the identity, values and aesthetics of the communities from which they emerge,” says the festival’s website.
The Montana Folk Festival has its origins in the National Folk Festival, the longest-running festival of traditional arts in the nation. The event, first held in 1934, championed the arts of many nations, races and languages.
A history of the National Folk Festival reports, “Its most radical and enduring innovation was that of putting the artistic traditions of many cultures and communities from across America into the same event on an equal footing.”
The National Folk Festival was hosted in Butte for three years, from 2008 to 2010. When the National moved on, Montana organizers decided to take what they had learned and carry on the tradition with the creation of the Montana Folk Festival.
Now in its 14th year, the festival continues to feature top national cultural acts and showcase Montana’s rich heritage to visitors.
The Montana Traditions Arts Market and the First Peoples’ Market, both set up on the festival grounds, offered festivalgoers the chance to see and purchase both traditional and contemporary works by some of the region’s best traditional artists and craftspeople.
Each year, the Folklife area highlights the attributes and qualities of life in Montana. Beading, blacksmithing and weaving were some of the artforms visitors were able to see in action.
Food offerings included a range of global cuisines, from Polish to Pakistani, along with festival favorites including corn dogs and funnel cake.
The festival relies on contributions large and small. No admission is charged for any performance over the three days of the festival, but attendees are encouraged to show their appreciation and donate.