'A Tribe Called Red's electric powwow puts indigenous culture centre stage' diff viewer (0/1)

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A Tribe Called Red's electric powwow puts indigenous culture centre stage	A Tribe Called Red's electric powwow puts indigenous culture centre stage
2015-07-28 16:25:22 UTC	2015-07-28 17:00:16 UTC (35 minutes later)
The dispute began on Instagram last summer, when Bear Witness, a founding member of the electronic group A Tribe Called Red, posted a photo at the Calgary folk music festival. Taken from the stage, it shows a sea of fans dancing furiously to Tribe’s blend of powwow songs, electronic music and dubstep.	The dispute began on Instagram last summer, when Bear Witness, a founding member of the electronic group A Tribe Called Red, posted a photo at the Calgary folk music festival. Taken from the stage, it shows a sea of fans dancing furiously to Tribe’s blend of powwow songs, electronic music and dubstep.
~~“Yes #calgaryfolkfest2014. U guys were amazing,” Bear Witness wrote in the ~~captiono.~~~~	“Yes #calgaryfolkfest2014. U guys were amazing,” Bear Witness wrote in the caption.
But @nikkilaes, a fan, interpreted the photo differently. What struck her most was the racial makeup of the crowd.	But @nikkilaes, a fan, interpreted the photo differently. What struck her most was the racial makeup of the crowd.
“Gotta say it ... Can’t help myself ... there’s a whole lot of blonde in those first few front rows” she wrote. Others agreed.	“Gotta say it ... Can’t help myself ... there’s a whole lot of blonde in those first few front rows” she wrote. Others agreed.
For Witness, a DJ who grew up between Buffalo, Toronto and Six Nations of the Grand River, home to the largest First Nations band in Canada, such disputes are not uncommon. They’ve been cropping up since 2008, when he and Ian Campeau, also known as DeeJay NDN, threw their first electric powwowin Ottawa.	For Witness, a DJ who grew up between Buffalo, Toronto and Six Nations of the Grand River, home to the largest First Nations band in Canada, such disputes are not uncommon. They’ve been cropping up since 2008, when he and Ian Campeau, also known as DeeJay NDN, threw their first electric powwowin Ottawa.
At the time, Campeau was getting invited to Korean parties, Jamaican parties and other “culturally specific” DJ nights. He found there was nothing equivalent for indigenous kids beyond the “local Indian bar, or the blues night where Indians go”.	At the time, Campeau was getting invited to Korean parties, Jamaican parties and other “culturally specific” DJ nights. He found there was nothing equivalent for indigenous kids beyond the “local Indian bar, or the blues night where Indians go”.
So he and Witness, both working DJs, started a party of their own, for local indigenous students. They convinced their friends to give them some space, set up their turntables and mashed up their own blend of electronic music and powwow, whose rawhide drumbeats and full-throated singing is a cultural touchstone for hundreds of Native tribes.	So he and Witness, both working DJs, started a party of their own, for local indigenous students. They convinced their friends to give them some space, set up their turntables and mashed up their own blend of electronic music and powwow, whose rawhide drumbeats and full-throated singing is a cultural touchstone for hundreds of Native tribes.
The party went nuts. “Indigenous people are used to be invisible, keeping our heads down,” Witness said. “So when people started freaking out across the dance floor, we knew we were on to something.”	The party went nuts. “Indigenous people are used to being invisible, keeping our heads down,” Witness said. “So when people started freaking out across the dance floor, we knew we were on to something.”
Tribe’s Electric powwow, now known as powwow step, has since gone global. Nation II Nation, their second album released in 2013, was shortlisted for a Polaris music prize and included in the Washington Post’s top 10 albums of the year.	Tribe’s Electric powwow, now known as powwow step, has since gone global. Nation II Nation, their second album released in 2013, was shortlisted for a Polaris music prize and included in the Washington Post’s top 10 albums of the year.
But their big moment came in 2014. After months on tour in Europe, where they performed from Paris to Berlin, they took home a Juno, Canada’s music award, for breakthrough artist of the year, and were nominated for best electronic album. It was the first time an aboriginal artist had won outside the aboriginal category.	But their big moment came in 2014. After months on tour in Europe, where they performed from Paris to Berlin, they took home a Juno, Canada’s music award, for breakthrough artist of the year, and were nominated for best electronic album. It was the first time an aboriginal artist had won outside the aboriginal category.
For fans, Tribe’s success is a source of pride in a national context where First Nation people still face systemic racism, unchecked police brutality and higher rates of suicide and addiction than any other group in North America.	For fans, Tribe’s success is a source of pride in a national context where First Nation people still face systemic racism, unchecked police brutality and higher rates of suicide and addiction than any other group in North America.
We never expected non-indigenous people to show up at our parties and listen to our music	We never expected non-indigenous people to show up at our parties and listen to our music
For critics, they represent an emerging aesthetic that explores the tensions between city life and “rez life”, between pop and traditional native culture – a dual identity shaped by a decades-long migration from reservations and Canadian reserves to urban centers in a pattern than mirrors that of the Great Migration. Ethnomusicologists see Tribe’s approach to sampling native music as a form of repatriation, a challenge to western concepts of copyright.	For critics, they represent an emerging aesthetic that explores the tensions between city life and “rez life”, between pop and traditional native culture – a dual identity shaped by a decades-long migration from reservations and Canadian reserves to urban centers in a pattern than mirrors that of the Great Migration. Ethnomusicologists see Tribe’s approach to sampling native music as a form of repatriation, a challenge to western concepts of copyright.
The band has also struck a chord with a certain cultural elite – and this is where things get complicated.	The band has also struck a chord with a certain cultural elite – and this is where things get complicated.
Ever since the end of the Indian wars, when tribes were herded onto reservations and their religions and languages became the target of federal policies, the diversity of tribal culture has been reduced to a fetish, with most pop culture references fixing it firmly in the past. The “hipster headdress” sometimes seen at festivals like Coachella or at parties in Brooklyn is just an example.	Ever since the end of the Indian wars, when tribes were herded onto reservations and their religions and languages became the target of federal policies, the diversity of tribal culture has been reduced to a fetish, with most pop culture references fixing it firmly in the past. The “hipster headdress” sometimes seen at festivals like Coachella or at parties in Brooklyn is just an example.
When white fans started showing up to Tribe’s shows wearing feathers war paint, they publicly condemned it and issued a ban: headdresses would have to be checked at the door. They have also taken on racist mascots, given voice to aboriginal women musicians by sampling their music in novel ways, and wrote a song for Idle No More, one of the largest indigenous protest movements in Canada’s history.	When white fans started showing up to Tribe’s shows wearing feathers and war paint, they publicly condemned it and issued a ban: headdresses would have to be checked at the door. They have also taken on racist mascots, given voice to aboriginal women musicians by sampling their music in novel ways, and wrote a song for Idle No More, one of the largest indigenous protest movements in Canada’s history.
Related: Osheaga's headdress ban shows festival's zero tolerance for cultural appropriation	Related: Osheaga's headdress ban shows festival's zero tolerance for cultural appropriation
They’ve been accused on social media of reverse racism, of being too politically correct, of “taking away people’s fun” – which is why Witness finds the exchange on Instagram both upsetting and delighting.	They’ve been accused on social media of reverse racism, of being too politically correct, of “taking away people’s fun” – which is why Witness finds the exchange on Instagram both upsetting and delighting.
“We never expected non-indigenous people to show up at our parties and listen to our music,” Witness says. “I see the indigenous audience getting frustrated by the space that the non-indigenous crowd can take up. The fact they they’re out there trying to claim that space is a kind of action. In the past, indigenous people were silent. We didn’t complain. We tried to fit in.There wasn’t a space to complain about. So that in itself is a new kind of privilege for indigenous youth to have: to be able to complain.”	“We never expected non-indigenous people to show up at our parties and listen to our music,” Witness says. “I see the indigenous audience getting frustrated by the space that the non-indigenous crowd can take up. The fact they they’re out there trying to claim that space is a kind of action. In the past, indigenous people were silent. We didn’t complain. We tried to fit in.There wasn’t a space to complain about. So that in itself is a new kind of privilege for indigenous youth to have: to be able to complain.”
Underpinning such complaints are questions around assimilation and ownership, and who Tribe’s music belongs to.	Underpinning such complaints are questions around assimilation and ownership, and who Tribe’s music belongs to.
By sampling powwow music and dance, Tribe is sampling a piece of indigenous history that was outlawed and suppressed, through indirect policies and outright violence, in both the US and Canada.	By sampling powwow music and dance, Tribe is sampling a piece of indigenous history that was outlawed and suppressed, through indirect policies and outright violence, in both the US and Canada.
These conflicts speak to a longer history of struggle, resistance, and music that extends back through the Oka Crisis, the American Indian Movement and the massacre at Wounded Knee.	These conflicts speak to a longer history of struggle, resistance, and music that extends back through the Oka Crisis, the American Indian Movement and the massacre at Wounded Knee.
•••	•••
On a snowy weekend in January, Witness, Campeau, and Tim Hill, the band’s newest member, sat inside a multi-million dollar recording studio at the Phi Center in Montreal, surrounded by Macs and mixers, foam-padded walls, and a flag of the Iroquois Confederacy.	On a snowy weekend in January, Witness, Campeau, and Tim Hill, the band’s newest member, sat inside a multi-million dollar recording studio at the Phi Center in Montreal, surrounded by Macs and mixers, foam-padded walls, and a flag of the Iroquois Confederacy.
After five consecutive weekends in the studio, the sound and feel of the album was beginning to take shape. A mashup of rawhide drums and electronically crafted beats, it combined vocals by the Black Bear Singers (a young powwow group from an isolated reserve in northern Quebec) with rappers, electronic musicians and folk artists. The list is impressive: among those names were Saul Williams, Maxida Marak, Koolaid and the former chairman of the American Indian Movement, John Trudell, the activist behind the occupation of Alcatraz, one of the most successful American Indian protests of the 20th century.	After five consecutive weekends in the studio, the sound and feel of the album was beginning to take shape. A mashup of rawhide drums and electronically crafted beats, it combined vocals by the Black Bear Singers (a young powwow group from an isolated reserve in northern Quebec) with rappers, electronic musicians and folk artists. The list is impressive: among those names were Saul Williams, Maxida Marak, Koolaid and the former chairman of the American Indian Movement, John Trudell, the activist behind the occupation of Alcatraz, one of the most successful American Indian protests of the 20th century.
Now, as they waited on the arrival of Leonard Sumner, a rapper-turned-country singer from Winnipeg, and Shad, a Kenyan rapper whose lyrics touch on colonialism, they were grappling with the reality that powwow and rap aren’t easy companions.	Now, as they waited on the arrival of Leonard Sumner, a rapper-turned-country singer from Winnipeg, and Shad, a Kenyan rapper whose lyrics touch on colonialism, they were grappling with the reality that powwow and rap aren’t easy companions.
Like Campeau, who used to drink on stage, Witness is open about his fondness for marijuana. But the band’s increasingly public role has come with the burden of responsibility. Indigenous communities have the highest rates of alcohol and drug abuse across North America. Addiction is more than a physical scourge: it’s a tense emotional-cultural package, a legacy of colonialism, a symbol of defeat.	Like Campeau, who used to drink on stage, Witness is open about his fondness for marijuana. But the band’s increasingly public role has come with the burden of responsibility. Indigenous communities have the highest rates of alcohol and drug abuse across North America. Addiction is more than a physical scourge: it’s a tense emotional-cultural package, a legacy of colonialism, a symbol of defeat.
Today, in defiance of that history, most powwows are alcohol-free. In solidarity and respect, Tribe has been sober for more than a year.	Today, in defiance of that history, most powwows are alcohol-free. In solidarity and respect, Tribe has been sober for more than a year.
But when one’s music represents a collision of multiple worlds, “respect” can be a minefield.	But when one’s music represents a collision of multiple worlds, “respect” can be a minefield.
Tribe’s approach has been to manage their image fiercely. That they censor drug references in their songs while smoking marijuana in private can seem high-handed and hypocritical, yet it also reflects the tensions in their music – a clash of club and powwow culture, of personal choice and cultural obligations, of traditionalism and pop. Ever conscious of history and their devoted indigenous fans, Tribe understands that culture is a weapon. It’s something you handle with care.	Tribe’s approach has been to manage their image fiercely. That they censor drug references in their songs while smoking marijuana in private can seem high-handed and hypocritical, yet it also reflects the tensions in their music – a clash of club and powwow culture, of personal choice and cultural obligations, of traditionalism and pop. Ever conscious of history and their devoted indigenous fans, Tribe understands that culture is a weapon. It’s something you handle with care.
Yet Tribe is pushing back against the world they come from too. They’ve refused to enter the aboriginal category at the Juno awards and tapped into dubstep, ~~trap~~ and the sounds of other brown power movements so as to expand their message and reach. They understand that for culture to stay alive it has to go viral. Digital culture has given them a platform to do this, allowing them to reach thousands.	Yet Tribe is pushing back against the world they come from too. They’ve refused to enter the aboriginal category at the Juno awards and tapped into dubstep, rap and the sounds of other brown power movements so as to expand their message and reach. They understand that for culture to stay alive it has to go viral. Digital culture has given them a platform to do this, allowing them to reach thousands.
Indigenous people are used to be invisible, keeping our heads down	Indigenous people are used to be invisible, keeping our heads down
“My reserve, Nipissing, was out of walking distance to the nearest town,” Campeau said. “That was on purpose. It kept us out of sight and out of mind. Twitter changed everything by helping to close that gap. It’s giving us a platform to confront a lot of racism that we weren’t able to confront before. Now [racists] are posting in comment sections where I can call them out. Or they’re trolling a hashtag and I’m able to kick it like a bees nest and disrupt it.”	“My reserve, Nipissing, was out of walking distance to the nearest town,” Campeau said. “That was on purpose. It kept us out of sight and out of mind. Twitter changed everything by helping to close that gap. It’s giving us a platform to confront a lot of racism that we weren’t able to confront before. Now [racists] are posting in comment sections where I can call them out. Or they’re trolling a hashtag and I’m able to kick it like a bees nest and disrupt it.”
•••	•••
Earlier this month, Witness and Campeau performed at the opening of the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City, wearing bandanas around their faces and baseball caps pulled low over their eyes. An example of growing institutional interest in their work, their performance tied in nicely with the museum’s inaugural exhibit, a re-examination of arts in the US called America is Hard To See.	Earlier this month, Witness and Campeau performed at the opening of the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City, wearing bandanas around their faces and baseball caps pulled low over their eyes. An example of growing institutional interest in their work, their performance tied in nicely with the museum’s inaugural exhibit, a re-examination of arts in the US called America is Hard To See.
It also involved another fraught negotiation. Originally scheduled to perform at the ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Wooster Group, Tribe nearly backed out when they learned that the company, known for their experimental works, had been staging an adaptation of Shakespeare featuring actors in redface.	It also involved another fraught negotiation. Originally scheduled to perform at the ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Wooster Group, Tribe nearly backed out when they learned that the company, known for their experimental works, had been staging an adaptation of Shakespeare featuring actors in redface.
Cynthia Hedstrom, one of Wooster’s producers, was disappointed in Tribe’s decision but stood behind the show. “Often these taboo subjects, precisely because of their fraught history, are some of the most artistically powerful ones. We therefore take the position that nothing should be ‘off limits’ for an artist trying to shed light on the human condition.”	Cynthia Hedstrom, one of Wooster’s producers, was disappointed in Tribe’s decision but stood behind the show. “Often these taboo subjects, precisely because of their fraught history, are some of the most artistically powerful ones. We therefore take the position that nothing should be ‘off limits’ for an artist trying to shed light on the human condition.”
Related: Whitney museum: America Is Hard to See exhibition tells the stories of a nation	Related: Whitney museum: America Is Hard to See exhibition tells the stories of a nation