Red Electric Powwow

Red’s electric powwow a musical group started by Ian Campeau and Bear Witness to give a voice to indigenous people. According to Damaris Colhoun In the starting stage of Electric powwow Campeau and witness faced public critics on the bases of their culture, color and creed. Starting with a small party for local indigenous students Campeau and Witness introduced mashed up of their own electronic music and powwow.” Pow Wows are the Native American people’s way of meeting together, to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships, and making new ones. This is a time method to renew Native American culture and preserve the rich heritage of American Indians.”(1) : http://www.powwows.com/what-is-a-pow wow/#ixzz3mDaTEqL5. Campeau
Moreover they won a Juno, Canada’s music award for breakthrough artist of the year in 2014. Colhoun states that it was a great opportunity for an aboriginal artist to won a prize outside aboriginal category. On the other hand first nation people were still facing systemic racism in North America. Electric powwow group used music to fight racism against first nations. However another problem came in their way when white people joined indigenous people to tribes show’s wearing feathers and war paint which results to an issue of ban. In protest indigenous people speaks that they never wanted white or non-indigenous people to join them or to take part in their show. According to Colhoun “all the conflicts were speaking 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”. In addition, with more success comes more responsibilities as Campeau and Witness were fond of alcohol and marijuana and with growing popularity they were becoming a public symbol. Colhoun also states that today in defiance of that history most powwows are