"Suicide is a personal issue for me, and I wanted to help encourage these kids to stay with us. Plus, I was stoked to visit the classroom and learn more about what the students were learning, and, of course, go to the festival - where I hoped to find the concentration of Indigenous metalheads I'd been looking for. The festival itself was by far the most fun reporting trip I've been on. But it was also among the most challenging. Days were hot and long, sometimes 14 hours."
"Steve (Von Till, a musician mentioned in the story) put me in touch with the teachers at Buffalo Hide Academy in Browning, Montana, who were in the first year of their heavy music symposium, teaching Piikunii teenagers about hardcore and heavy metal music on the Blackfeet Nation. Once I heard what they were up to in that classroom, I realized I was getting into a much richer story than I'd imagined."
An effort to learn why many Native people gravitate to metal led to seeking Indigenous metal fans at shows and festivals. Blackbraid declined press access on tour, prompting a search for alternate gatherings. Contact with organizers of the Fire in the Mountains festival connected to Buffalo Hide Academy revealed a heavy music symposium teaching Piikunii teenagers hardcore and heavy metal on the Blackfeet Nation. Teachers organized the class, the festival, and internships for students to help run the event. The programs aimed to support Indigenous teens experiencing suicidal distress by creating community, cultural engagement, and practical skills. The festival was energizing but physically demanding with long, hot days.
Read at High Country News
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