Shunga Sha
42nd Gathering Featured Artists
•
2m 2s
M.L. shares a remarkable poem about the fox. M.L. Smoker performs "Shunga Sha" during the "Words Are Medicine" show at the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
M.L. Smoker
Wolf Point, MT
M.L. Smoker is Nakoda, Dakota, and Lakota, a citizen of the Fort Peck Tribes, and rooted in her family’s homeplace Tabexa Wakpa (Frog Creek). M.L.’s poems speak to themes of personal struggle and identity, drawing from Native American culture, language, and history. Her words often seek to understand the kinship between people and places, and to bear witness to the world around us. She is a former Montana Poet Laureate, an educator and education advocate, co-author of the children's graphic novel Thunderous, and author of "Another Attempt at Rescue" and a forthcoming collection of poems in 2025.
"Shunga Sha"
.....
Filmed in front of a live audience at the Elko Convention Center’s Laurena Moren Theater on Jan. 30, 2026.
Made possible by the multitude of staff, artists, volunteers, and community members working behind the scenes to make this show happen.
Brought to you by the Western Folklife Center, using story and cultural expression to connect the American West to the world.
www.westernfolklife.org
.....
Up Next in 42nd Gathering Featured Artists
-
Udder Wimmen
Teresa knows that when you're married to a cowboy, you're bound to have some competition. Teresa Burleson recites "Udder Wimmen."
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Teresa Burleson
Weatherford, TX
Teresa lives in rural Parker County, Texas on the same small ranch that she and her husband started 30 years ago whe... -
A Cowman's Lot
Terry intimately captures the quiet beauty and raw emotion of a wintry birthing scene, .Terry Nash performs "A Cowman's Lot" during the "Leppies + Other Mavericks" show at the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Terry Nash
Loma, CO
Western Colorado beef producer and acclaime... -
Road of Life
Olivia shares her philosophy of life. Olivia Harms sings "Road of Life."
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Olivia Harms
Canby, OR
Olivia Harms grew up on her family’s 150-year-old ranch in Canby, Oregon, where she spent her childhood chasing cows and riding horses, and accompanying her mother Joni Harms on tour...
