The head-banging world of metal got an unexpected infusion of spiritual medicine when the Finnish symphonic metal band, Nightwish teamed up with Lakota Indian, John Two-Hawks on the band’s latest release, Once.

Nightwish’s composer and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen discovered the musician while searching the internet for a native American flute player to accompany the song, “Creek Mary’s Blood", a ballad lamenting the tragedy of the American Indians’ lost way of life. With his hypnotic chanting in the Lakota language, John Two-Hawks exposed the raw nerve of pain felt by his people while simultaneously soothing the ache through the hauntingly beautiful cry of his cedar flute.

A semi-professional performer for fifteen years, Two-Hawks periodically leaves the seclusion of his home in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas to perform concerts and speak on the history and culture of his people.

“Most of what I do is concerts, but I do get occasions to do education programs at universities and conferences for corporations,” said Two-Hawks. “The purpose I have when I do get a chance to do education on the culture is to share with people the true culture and history of American Indians. So often it’s misunderstood, misinterpreted, misrepresented, and even stereotyped. My purpose is to dispel the stereotypes, to erase the misconceptions and to impart correct and accurate, truthful and honest history and culture so people really have and authentic understanding of who, what and why we are as American Indian people. I think that’s really important because without American Indian people, without the indigenous first nation people there is no United States. There is no American people.

An accomplished musician on more than 20 instruments, it is Two-Hawks’ mastery of the native American cedar flute that has earned him acclaim world-wide. “There are instruments in other parts of the world that are similar in nature and similar in design,” said Two-Hawks. “But the American Indian cedar flute really is in a class by itself when it comes to that sound that it has. It’s different from the rest.”

The flute clearly is the dominate element in Two-Hawks work, though he is also skilled keyboardist, percussionist and master of many stringed instruments. He constantly searches for new instruments and sounds to incorporate into his music.

“Every time I’m on tour in different countries I always endeavor to pick up the traditional instrument of that particular people,” said Two-Hawks “While I was in Finland, I asked (Nightwish’s manager) Ewo (Rytkonen), ‘What is the traditional instrument of the people of Finland?’ and he explained to me that it was called the kantele. So I said ‘Well, Ewo take me to a store. I must buy one.’

So Ewo obliged the eclectic musician and took him to a music store where Two-Hawks was introduced to the traditional stringed instrument that has been played by the Finnish people as far back as prehistoric time. “It was really neat,” remembered Two-Hawks. “Because on the way out of the store Ewo said, ‘I have taken many people to look at the kantele. You are the first to buy one.’ I was really really honored by that.”

The song from Nightwish’s latest album, Once, opens with Two-Hawks singing a powerful testimony to his ancestors in his native language. “No one has ever asked me what I’m saying in the beginning. It is ‘All of my relations are all still here’ I did that on purpose.”

In contrast, the band’s female vocalist, Tarja Turunen enters the song with the mournful declaration, “Soon I will be here no more.”

“I wanted to lend a balance to that,” said Two-Hawks. “For American Indian people, we understand that all of our ancestors are still with us. What Tuomas is saying when he wrote that, was that all of the evils that have happened to American Indian people (are) very true. But I will be here and so that is very real, very powerful. So both expressions are right and are important to understand and so it is beautiful that in English it is saying one thing but in Lakota it’s saying another. So underneath, sort of the undercurrent is even though I am not here for you to see, I am still here.”

The powerful resonance of Two-Hawks voice is capable of stirring emotion without the need to understand the words. “My voice was really my first instrument,” said Two-Hawks. “I’ve been a singer for a very long time. That’s one of the things I love to do as much as play the flute. I try to incorporate all of that musical instrumentation in with the American Indian influence but I do it in a way that I use it as background. The flute is to me where it’s at. The power of my music comes from the flute.”

The Nightwish ballad ends with a poem honoring the heritage of the American Indian which Two-Hawks chants in the Lakota language. The native American was impressed with the accuracy in which Tuomas expressed his peoples heritage in this final testimony.

“I think what he summed up really, in that poem was a spiritual truth. It is our understanding of the whole circle, the whole perspective. We, in this society now a days, we look at things really close and when we do, we lose our perspective,” said Two Hawks. “But American Indian people, having been on the continent as long as we have, we have a tendency to look at things much further back, to see the whole picture. Tuomas with his poem kind of zeroed in on this and he captured with words the thoughts and the sense of feeling that American Indian people have about North America, about what happened to us here, but not only that, but about what is to come and what we see in the future, how we see this circle will come back around. Those that are of the earth, shall return to the earth and Tuomas kind of called that out in that poem. It’s like he transformed himself into an American Indian just for a moment in time. Maybe in someway he sort of stepped into our moccasins and really was seeing our world through our eyes when he wrote that. That’s what I think. I think he wept, I think he probably cried in a quiet, private way. Maybe he clenched his teeth and his fist and felt emotion.

During the taping of “Creek Mary’s Blood”, Two-Hawks developed a special bond with the Finnish keyboardist. “He and I are musical soul mates,” the Indian declared. This sense of connection the two musicians felt was so strong, Two-Hawks felt compelled to bestow on Tuomas an Indian name. Though he did not come up with the name, Two Hawks felt the honor was appropriate. “I can’t take credit for the name coming, because the name really came from my wife (Peggy),” he admitted. “My wife had dreams when she was in Finland and they were all about Tuomas and they all had to do with certain things. So a name came to her.”

“I’ve gotta be honest with you, this is something that happened this one time only,” he continued. “We’ve never done an naming ceremony ever. So we did a small private ceremony with Tuomas and that’s how he received the name. As he’s probably said or implied, it is sort of personal and private.”

Indeed, Tuomas is reluctant to discuss what the name means to him, but he did reveal his feelings about the ceremony and the name itself. “I truly felt something when they did that ritual and I was so honored,” he said. “I’ve always been so that I’d never will get a tattoo but this is something that I would think about. Maybe on the arm or something. And there are already so many fans that are calling me “Shadow Wolf” instead of Tuomas,” he added with a laugh.

“What I really loved about Nightwish’s music is that they were passionate,” said Two-Hawks. “When I read the lyrics, which I understand Tuomas writes, (I thought), ‘Here’s a guy writing with passion!’ The music is also incredibly ingenious and passionate. You can tell just by listening to the music that it says something; it means something. I like when the listener has to think and Tuomas make you think with his writing. He writes in a way that makes you have to dig a little bit. The lyrics in the song “Creek Mary’s Blood”; oh, they mean something. What he wrote really comes from his heart.”

John Two-Hawks has released seven cd’s including a collaboration with Celtic musician, Manach on “Traditions” and a collection of Christmas music in Native American style entitled “Peace on Earth”. His cd’s “Heal” and “Good Medicine” have been described as “music that heals. It finds its way into those secret places and leaves its affirming balm on the soul.”

Recently he contributed a song “Wild Eagle” on a DVD with the same name in which he plays the kantele.

To experience the magic and healing power of the music of John Two-Hawks, visit his website at: http://www.johntwohawks.com

(Full interview transcription, click here)