Skip to content

Quiltman Milton Sahme

Born: Simnasho, Warm Springs, Oregon

Tribe(s): Warm Springs/Hopi

Instrument(s): Vocals, Native percussion

Role(s): Traditional singer and percussionist

Years active: 1962 – Present        

Credited with: Musician for the soundtrack to Incident at Oglala; Internationally recognized traditional Songkeeper.

Honors & Awards: American Indian Film Festival Movie Award for Best Film for Incident at Oglala  (1992)

Associated with: John Trudell & Bad Dog, Jesse Ed Davis, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Danny O’Keefe, The Pines, Blackbird, others

Discography: Three Sisters (1999), 17 albums with John Trudell (1983 – 2015), Looking Glass and the Dreamers (Danny O’Keefe)(2020); Talk About the NDN (Blackbird Band)(2023)

Genre(s): Traditional, rock

Biography

Quiltman Sahme is an honored elder recognized across Indian Country, a traditional singer, percussionist and songkeeper with countless traditional melodies in his music. He toured extensively with John Trudell and the musicians of his band Bad Dog, performing many hundreds of concerts across North America and Europe, and recording 17 studio albums over a period of 35 years. Quiltman continues to perform and record, most recently featured on the band Blackbird’s album Talk About the NDN. He lives at Simnasho on the Warm Springs Reservation, where he owns Quiltman’s Coffee House. (Source: Sean Aaron Cruz)

Performances

The Pines, featuring John Trudell & Quiltman – Time Dreams
Format: Official, Date: 2015, Duration: 5:47

John Trudell & Bad Dog – Crazy Horse
Format: Live, Date: 1992, Duration: 4:08

John Trudell  & Bad Dog Beauty In A Fade
Format: Live, Date: 1992, Duration: 5:02

John Trudell & Quiltman – (from Tribal Voices album)- Listening (Honor Song)
Format: Audio, Date: 1983, Duration: 4:45

Quiltman & John Trudell Oglala
Format: Audio, Date: 1999, Duration: 3:47

Quiltman Three Sisters
Format: Audio, Date: 1999, Duration: 3:05

Quiltman Walk with Me
Format: Audio, Date: 1999, Duration: 3:17

Quiltman Redwood Crowhop
Format: Audio, Date: 1999, Duration: 5:43

Quiltman – Morning’s Wings
Format: Audio, Date: 1999, Duration: 5:12

QuiltmanOcean
Format: Audio, Date: 1999, Duration: 7:00

Quiltman – Choosh
Format: Audio, Date: 1999, Duration: 5:04

Quiltman Mountain
Format: Audio, Date: 1999, Duration: 5:02

Quiltman – Peltier Song
Format: Audio, Date: 1999, Duration: 4:05

QuiltmanSmun A Tee
Format: Audio, Date: 1999, Duration: 2:25

Quiltman – The Parting Song
Format: Audio, Date: 1999, Duration: 3:06

Quiltman & Teewanee Sahmea – Nelsons Small Lakes Honor Song
Format: Live, Date: 1999, Duration: 3:52

Quiltman and the NW Indian Veterans Association close Jim PepperFest
Format: Live, Date: 2014, Duration: 7:12

Quiltman & Teewahnee Sahme, Mark Shark, Chris Miller – Celebrate Love, Celebrate Life Honor Song for John Trudell
Format: Live, Date: 2016, Duration: 1:53

Quiltman – Water Protector Honoring Song
Format: Live, Date: 2020, Duration: 2:49

Blackbird – Featuring Quiltman – Talk About the NDN
Format: Official, Date: 2023, Duration: 4:01

Tribal Information

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
Wasco, Warm Springs, Paiute tribes

Common Ground
Format: Official, Date: 2020, Duration: 11:07

Oral History with Wilson Wewa
Oregon Encounters. Chapter 4
Format: Official, Date: 2020, Duration: 7:12

9 Tribes of Oregon Film (EUDL)
Warm Springs Prevention Team/Community Counseling Center
Format: Official, Date: 2016, Duration: 44:19

Homelands, Treaty and Culture
Natural History Pub – High Desert Museum
Format: Official, Date: 2022, Duration: 48:14

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs website

Treaty of 1855

Warm Springs Indian Reservation (Wikipedia)

Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution (the Supremacy Clause)

“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”

References

Jackson Browne elated to perform benefit concerts for Quiltman, his Native American musician friend