Although the Nez Perce Reservation is a secluded piece of land in the mountains of north central Idaho, a piece of the tribe finds it way all over North America.
The Red Tail Drummers are an award-winning group based in Lapwai. They travel from powwow to powwow and have now expanded as recording artists. Their first CD came out this spring.
George Meninick Jr. is one of the 18 members of the group. Meninick, 21, has been a member since 1996 when the group began performing at powwows, and said he feels the whole group is like his family.
"They’re there for me any time I need help," Meninick said. "Let’s say if I wanted to go to a powwow and don’t have cash, they’ll send some money for me and do whatever they can to help me out." And in turn, "I consider them my family and my brothers," he said.
Though the group is considered Nez Perce and based in Idaho, many of its members live as far away as Canada. Meninick lives in Yakima, Wash., where he now goes to school. Meninick is a member of the Yakama Tribe.
Despite the distance, Meninick said the group practices as much as possible, either individually or together. The group meets for powwows on the weekends. He said he practices as much as his schedule allows, and sometimes, in unconventional ways.
"I practice pretty much every day, I practice in the shower or singing around, wherever. On the drive to the mall, you can be singing in the car," he said.
Ceremonial drumming doesn’t use the standard way of reading music by sheet, and Meninick says where he does read it is hard to explain.

Nez Perce women