From the Time of Our Ancestors
This album is a two disc collection of songs Composed by the late Bruce Miller from the skokomish Tribe. The Skokomish Tribe is located on the mouth of the Skokomish River in western Washington at the most southern point of the Hood Canal. This album is arranged as a journey in the ancient times to travel by water in canoes to destinations of other tribes. As Bruce told the story titled The Changer, this was to except an invitation to the ancient gambling games that are known as Sla-Hal. These games are still played today.
The first song on the album titled The Changer is all about the transformation of time, going back a thousand years. Song No.2 is a woman's wool spinning song from at least three hundred years ago. It is from Bruce's lineage. Then the songs transform to the gambling songs that are used in the contest of the game. This collection includes songs to honor the opponent, victory songs and finally a conclusion that is sung in the ancient language the Skokomish spoke. With the message stating we have taken you to the most distant place of our memories.
This album has been used for numerous sound clips of videos and tribal events in Washington. It is monumental for the original sound of the interior Tribes of Washington State. It was chosen by the museum of the American Indian Smithsonian in Washington D.C. as the introductory music of the one year exhibit "Listing to Our Ancestors" 2006.