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"

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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

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