2008 Woodie Awards
Blackfire band advocates for cultural justice
Eirinn Disbrow
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News
The Navajo punk-rock band, Blackfire, came to campus last Wed., Apr. 16. The three band members started their day early here at the College by attending an Environmental Communication class, taught by Dr. Taub, Associate Professor and Department Chair of the Media and Communication Department, to speak about their ongoing struggle for cultural survival. They also attended a reception for the band from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. in the Great Room, and then performed a free concert at 8:00 p.m. in the Recital Hall of Baker Center for the Arts.
Blackfire is comprised of two brothers, Clayson and Klee Benally, and their sister Jeneda Benally. Their music is a mixture of punk-rock, traditional Native American, and "Alter-Native." These three siblings were drawn towards punk-rock because it was very different from the music they heard on the radio which to them sounded fabricated. "We liked how punk-rock was aggressive and confrontational, it had a meaning that resonated with us and others in our community," said Klee.
Clayson, Klee, and Jeneda come from the Navajo tribe which is also known as Dine. In the 17th century the Navajos occupied the region between the San Juan and Little Colorado rivers in northeastern Arizona, but they traveled far outside that territory. They fought the Spanish for over 300 years and were never successfully defeated. In 1864 the Navajos were forcefully marched off of their land while the U.S. military scorched crops, orchards, and fields and took Navajo women and children as slaves to sell to Mexico. In 1868, Barboncito, the chief spokesperson for the Navajo, negotiated a treaty that provided a reservation for his tribe around the Four Corners area. The reservation extends into Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.
The Navajo tribe recognizes four sacred mountains that represent the boundaries of their land. One of these mountains is in the San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona. The San Francisco Peaks are part of a public land managed by the United States Forest Service and are also considered sacred by over thirteen Native American tribes. The Forest Service has designated 777 acres of this land to the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort, a resort that has recently proposed expansion by using reclaimed wastewater to make snow.
Blackfire is comprised of two brothers, Clayson and Klee Benally, and their sister Jeneda Benally. Their music is a mixture of punk-rock, traditional Native American, and "Alter-Native." These three siblings were drawn towards punk-rock because it was very different from the music they heard on the radio which to them sounded fabricated. "We liked how punk-rock was aggressive and confrontational, it had a meaning that resonated with us and others in our community," said Klee.
Clayson, Klee, and Jeneda come from the Navajo tribe which is also known as Dine. In the 17th century the Navajos occupied the region between the San Juan and Little Colorado rivers in northeastern Arizona, but they traveled far outside that territory. They fought the Spanish for over 300 years and were never successfully defeated. In 1864 the Navajos were forcefully marched off of their land while the U.S. military scorched crops, orchards, and fields and took Navajo women and children as slaves to sell to Mexico. In 1868, Barboncito, the chief spokesperson for the Navajo, negotiated a treaty that provided a reservation for his tribe around the Four Corners area. The reservation extends into Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.
The Navajo tribe recognizes four sacred mountains that represent the boundaries of their land. One of these mountains is in the San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona. The San Francisco Peaks are part of a public land managed by the United States Forest Service and are also considered sacred by over thirteen Native American tribes. The Forest Service has designated 777 acres of this land to the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort, a resort that has recently proposed expansion by using reclaimed wastewater to make snow.