Enjoy some metal music from the group Awkan!  Awkan is a band founded in 2005. The members are part of the Indigenous Mapuche people of Wallmapu, the lands that today are also known as southern Argentina and Chile. Awkan provides a great example of the movement to incorporate traditional musical instruments and language into genres of music today such as hip hop and heavy metal. You can find a full length album with the link. There are 12 songs and most of them feature the Ma

This week’s learning isn’t from a song, but a way to hear the Kusunda language by listening to sisters separated in life but connected by language comment in their own language on the first ever video of the Kusunda people, what a twist! Kusunda or Kusanda is a language spoken by the Kusunda people in western and central Nepal. There are a few hundred people, perhaps 23 native speakers, and one fluent native speaker; Kamala Sen-Khatri. Kamala is in her 50s and is the younger

Gurridyula Gaba Wunggu is using passion, determination, music and culture to stand against an earth-wrecking mine.   Gurridyula is a leader and spokesperson for Waddananggu, and Waddanganggu is a ceremony on Wangan and Jagalingou Country in Central Queensland, Australia. The word Waddanganggu means ‘the talking’ in the Wirdi language. The song this week doesn’t use traditional language but is fantastic. It comes with a powerful story of belonging, and shows a power in being y

A song to celebrate Māori Language Week by fusing English and te reo Māori by the band Six60! The song is called Pepeha and was released in 2021. Its release was connected to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week). This is a government-sponsored initiative to encourage New Zealanders to promote the use of the Māori language. The word pepeha references a form of self-introduction, where the speaker describes their ancestry and connections to the natural environment. ** R

Enjoy a recently released special song and video from a musical group sharing Palenquero with the world! Kombilesa Mi is a grouping bringing Palenquero into their music; a Spanish-based creole mixed with African languages, mainly the Kikongo language. At least 300 words of African origin have been identified. It is thought that Palenquero also includes elements from Indigenous languages local to present day Colombia. They doesn’t use computer-generated beats on their tracks,

An inspirational song and story from El Salvador!  The song is in honour of Genaro Ramírez Vázquez. He is known as the dreamer and farmer who revived the Nawat language in El Salvador. The Pipil are Indigenous People from this region and speak the Nawat/Nahuat/Pipil language. This language has been mostly silent since atrocities about 90 years ago. Genaro became the first teacher of the language, and he made sure he wasn’t the last. He left his farming tools behind and instea

Instead of a song this week, discover a resource of incredibly creative storytelling between Elders and youth! 🌬️🎨 This video is called Arapaho Truths and it's just under 30 minutes. It has been featured in at least 25 film festivals across the United States, Europe, and Asia, and won at least 8 awards, including the Most Inspirational Film Award. Part of the inspiration has to be the amazing bridge this film built between Elders and youth. The Northern Arapaho of the Wind

Spend some time learning about the Charrúa, an Indigenous People or Nation of the Southern Core in present-day Uruguay. 🌎 The Southern Core represents a geographical and cultural sub-region made of the southernmost areas of South America, mostly south of the Tropic of Capricorn. The Charrúa relied on hunting and gathering.and were semi-nomadic. It is believed that today there are between 160,000 and 300,000 individuals in Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil who are descendants of

Meet Ra Jikotea Niaku’no Ruiz León, a Kiwari (Queer), vegan, mixed Taíno-Borikua dancer, singer, poet, artist, and educator! From Boriken (Puerto Rico), her work focuses on celebrating and promoting Indigenous Caribbean identity. She founded the ‘Wuru Taíno Tekiro’uo’ or ‘Proud Taíno School’; leading workshops and teaching Taíno language courses, as well as making music and creative endevours in the Taíno language. Ra is an enrolled tribal member of Higuayagua. You can find a

Check out this unique song that holds a cartoon story in its video! Tixis is an electronic music project based in Barcelona, but the basis of the art produced is centred around the Wayúu. The Wayúu are the largest Indigenous community in Colombia, representing 20% of the Indigenous population and numbering around 380,000 people. They are sometimes known as the people of the sun, sand, and wind. Their ancestral lands are primarily in the La Guajira Peninsula in northernmost Co

Have a sweet song by Gabby Pahinui! Gabby Pahinui (also known as Pops Pahinui) was born in 1921 in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. He is especially known for his expressive vocals and mastery of traditional Hawaiian slack-key guitar. This song is called Hi'ilawe and was his first recording made in 1946 and again in 47. Hi’ilawe is an incredible waterfall found in Waipi'o Valley on the Big Island. The song was originally written by Samuel Kalāinaina in the 1890s. It celebrates the beau

Learn about Tuvan throat singing! 🐦 The Tuvan are Indigenous peoples described as a cross-national ethnic group separated by national borders of China, Mongolia, and Russia. The majority live in Russia and number 263,934 according to a 2010 census. There are some issues with China classifying Tuvans as Mongolians, with one Tuvan elder saying “Most Tuva live outside of China, so we were afraid that once we were classified as Mongolian people, gradually we would be assimilated

Listen to some relaxing music, learn about the island of Borneo, its rainforest, and 2 of the many Indigenous peoples who call this third largest island in the world their home.   The island of Borneo is divided among the countries of Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It holds the Borneo rainforest, which is one of the oldest rainforests on the planet. There are about 15,000 species of flowering plants, 3,000 species of trees, 221 species of terrestrial mammals, 420 species of

Learn about an extraordinary singer-songwriter-musician and politician who was considered a cultural ambassador of the Garifuna people. ✨ Aurelio Martínez Suazo tragically died in a plane crash in March 2025. He was the first Afro-Honduran member of the National Congress of Honduras, and his music reached into the soul of many a person. The song this week is called Landini and it's incredible. Landini means ‘landing’ in Garifuna. The song is off an album with the same name th

Take 2 minutes to be inspired by Emily Wurramara! ✨ This short music-based video shares some insight and passion from the singer songwriter based in Australia. Emily is a Warnindhilyagwa woman from Ayangkidarrba (Groote Eylandt). She has won a ton of awards for her music, ranging from Breakthrough Independent Artist to Australian Video of the Year. She has an EP with 4 language-based children's songs. Her latest album, called Nara, came out last year and won Best Adult Contem

This song comes with a creative video and is from a new artist named LÜCY. 🌗 LÜCY is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter born in 2000. She plays guitar, piano, and began writing her own songs at the age of 19. In 2021, she released her first single and video. Her first album was self-titled and came out the year after. The song below is from that album and called ‘Isahini’, translating to "Right now, at the moment’". The word is in the Saisiat lanaguge, which LÜCY sings in along w

Lets learn about the Nenets people, sometimes described as the wardens of Siberia’s north. 🦌  According to a 2021 census, there were 49,646 Nenets in Russia, mainly living along the coastline of the Arctic Ocean. They are generally divided by where they live; either tundra and forest, and each with their own language. About 95% of Nenets speakers speak Tundra Nenets, with Forest Nenets having a much smaller population at around 1,500 individuals. UNESCO recognizes the Nenet

Environmental petition and poetry project - Idaho wolves and Greenpeace lawsuit

Environmental petition and poetry project - Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, UK deforestation-free products, Salish Sea orcas