Native American Rock Bands
By Leticia Sanchez
Research Question
◊ What are the themes that are
represented in modern Native American
Rock Bands?
Main Stream Rock Bands
◊ Themes in Songs:
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Love
Violence
Political Issues
Art
Redbone
◊ Native American rock
band founded in 1969
by brothers Loly and
Pat Vegas who are of
Shoshone/ Yaqui and
Mexican descent
◊ Music style
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•
•
•
•
•
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Rock
R&B
Funk
Cajun
Jazz
Tribal
Latin
◊ Name means person of
mixed race
Redbone Music Themes
◊ Love
◊ Magic
◊ Native American
Spirituality
◊ 1970’s funk
Redbone’s “Wovoka”
◊ “Wovoka”: talks about the Ghost
Dancehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BElwfBEjSA
0
XIT
◊ Nat. Am. rock band
founded in 1972 from
Albuquerque, New
Mexico
◊ Music Style
• Rock
• Pan-Indian music styles
◊ Name stands for
“crossing of Indian
tribes”
XIT Music Themes
◊ Native American
Spirituality
◊ Historic and
Contemporary
Native American
issues
◊ Red Power
movement
XIT’s “Reservation of
Education”
◊ “Reservation of Education”: discusses the ethnocide
of Native American culture in schools
◊ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C_uPg2NpmE
Blackfire
◊ Diné/ Navajo rock
band founded in
1989 from Flagstaff,
Arizona by siblings
Jeneda, Klee and
Clayson
◊ Music Style
• Punk rock
• Alternative Rock
• Pan- Indian
Blackfire Music Themes
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◊
◊
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Genocide
Domestic Violence
Human Rights
Sociopolitical
messages about
government
oppression
Blackfire’s “It Ain’t Over”
◊ “It Ain’t Over”: Native American
resistance
◊ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6L
FNCryryA
Red Earth
◊ Native American rock
band founded in the
mid 1990s from
Albuquerque, New
Mexico
◊ Music Style: Called
“tribal stew”
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Pan-Indian
Funk
Rock
Heavy metal
Reggae
Latin
jazz
Red Earth Music Themes
◊ Indigenous
perspectives
◊ Popular culture
themes
Red Earth’s “Fly to the Sun”
◊ “Fly to the Sun”: ode to Indian women
◊ http://www.facebook.com/pages/RedEarth/93340487475
Bibliography
◊ Red Earth’s Zia Soul
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/
28179864.html
◊ Redbone http://www.redbone.be/index.html
◊ XIT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XIT_%28band%
29
◊ Blackfire http://blackfire.net/about/
◊ Videos www.youtube.com