Underneath you will find frequently updates about IWASHERE. Follow our journey while we make new music, record and have concerts.
Underneath you will find frequently updates about IWASHERE. Follow our journey while we make new music, record and have concerts.
Underneath you will find frequently updates about IWASHERE. Follow our journey while we make new music, record and have concerts.
THE BEGINNING OF IWASHERE
Back in 2004 a man named Paul Howard from Washington state wrote an email to Martine Kraft (then Martine Lund Hoel), stating that her music made "the sacredness dwell up inside". The email was a well written appreciation of her musical work, which she and her boyfriend (now husband) decided to answer. Paul got to know the couples interest in native Americans and through him Martines music was brought to Tamkaliks Celebration in Wallowa, Oregon and via another friend of Pauls, Jay Coates, to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
Paul, Martine and Jay
Through Paul and Jay, Martine and Nils Jørgen got invitations to Tamkaliks Celebration, Spokane Indian Reservation and Pine Ridge Reservation, but Martine and Nils could not find a way to actually go there. But then.
In 2014 Martine Kraft Band was going to play a festival in Eugene, not too far from neither Pauls home nor Tamkaliks Celebration. So after 10 years of corresponding, exchanging music, pictures and gifts, Martine and Nils accepted an invitation to stay at Pauls house for a week prior to Tamkaliks Celebration which was just days before the festival that got the Martine Kraft Band flown over to the United States.
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Paul and Jay had been friends since childhood, we like to call them brothers, and the week before they took Martine and Nils Jørgen to the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland (Tamkaliks Celebration) their friendship grew.
After the first visit Martine and Nils Jørgen got a new invitation from The Tamkaliks Celebration, now with the hope that they could collaborate musically with singer and drummer Fred Hill Sr.
Tamkaliks Celebration in Wallowa, Oregon State
In 2018 Martine and Nils Jørgen finally made it to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, after an invitation from the woman chief Marlene Locke back in 2005. Marlene had acknowledged Martines music as healing and she wanted to meat to assign a permit to tell the story of the Lakota People through art and music. Sadly Marlene had crossed over to the spirit world when Martine and Nils arrived, but she had made plans if that was to happen. Her long time friend Jay Coates was to take them to the medicine man Sidney Has No Horses and it was during a weeks stay in his home, meeting lots of great people, Martine and Nils Jørgen found out how to start working with Marlene`s wish.
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Marlene Locke
When they came back they started to make songs dedicated to individuals working for native american culture, to shed light on their everyday situation. The first song they released was «The buffalos of Ed Iron Cloud», dedicated to the buffalo keeper Edward Iron Cloud that asked if Martine could make a song to his buffalos. The name of this new musical journey became IWASHERE, and they started their first recordings with drummer and producer Sven Andréen.
In September of 2019 the jingle dress dancer and story teller from the Umatilla people of Oregon, Acosia Red Elk, visited Norway for IWASHERE`s first live appearance in their hometown Gjøvik.
In November 2020 IWASHERE released their first song "The Buffalos of Ed Iron Cloud" with a video featuring Acosia Red Elk.
Video: Alexander Rostad
In July 2024 they released their first album, "Bridging Worlds - one song at a time (volume 1)". 10 songs and10 dedications to honor the Native American People, culture and heritagee. This album tells stories of strong individuals in the centre of contemporary Native American communities.​​
Cover art: Martine Kraft
In September and October of 2025 IWASHERE started touring for DKS Innlandet with Fred Hill Sr., a great journey with a lot of positive interaction with young students. In this production they tell the story about how two distant continents and cultures met through music and friendship. They tell about Marlenes wish, about the stories behind the songs, and how they met Fred. Fred tells about his childhood, his work with the native language, about pow wow`s and about his culture and heritage.
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Photo: Daniel Holen Berg
We look forward to share this journey with you, one song at a time.