It is by playing the Native American flute, which she refers to as “her other voice,” that Rona Yellow Robe has become comfortable sharing with all audiences aspects of her life that are personal to her. Rona Yellow Robe-Walsh is a Cree woman of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy, Montana.
After seeing many family members pass away before their time, Rona encountered much adversity as a child, which would continue through much of her adulthood.
By paying attention to the mistakes of those who walked before her, and by learning from them, Rona is still here today, and able to share her healing with us through the Native American flute. When she first heard R. Carlos Nakai play Native American flute in 2001, she recalls, it made her stop: “I was in the moment of it all. I loved the sound and how it made me feel. I knew at that moment I wanted to play the Native American flute because I wanted to give that same feeling I had to others.” She was taught that you don’t play the Native American flute: it plays you. After playing Native American flute for about 2 years, Rona was introduced to Kristina Bloom, with whom she did the “Make Your World” meditation CD. This project further fueled her desire to make more music. Rona yearned to be taught what she did not already know about Native American flute.
In April of 2007, her prayers were answered when she was given the opportunity to participate in a workshop with R.Carlos Nakai, her first NAF influence. At RNAF, Renaissance of the Native American Flute, she participated on a scholarship, which she earned by performing live in front of her Native American flute peers. In one of the defining moments of her career, Rona received a standing ovation from her peers. Although many Native Indian cultures, at one time, only accepted the man to play the Native American flute, Rona has been embraced and welcomed with open arms by Native Tribes and Nations.
There is no set time or situation for her music to be played, as their calling has no regard for time of day or other priorities. She is passionate about playing her flutes traditionally. But Rona also wants to take her flutes to other levels, having already experimented alongside instruments such as the harp, guitar, and bass. One day, she hopes, she will be able to play alongside symphonies. As a child, Rona was the eyes for her blind grandmother, who taught her how to pray with sweet grass and sage, how to sew, and how to cook. As a translator for the hearing impaired community, Rona was the ears for deaf students earning their degrees.