This year has been largely about things not fitting into easy boxes but still being okay.
Last year's Hispanic Heritage Month daily songs stretched from September 17th through November 24th, giving short shrift to Native American Heritage Month.
https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2024/12/daily-songs-for-hispanic-heritage-month.html
I kind of had in mind that I would make up for that this year, and the article with the Indigenous Halloween playlist got the ball rolling.
https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2025/11/songs-squeezed-in-between-things.html
That (plus a couple of my own) gave me Indigenous artists from October 24th through November 4th; what was I going to do after that?
I was reading The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley, and there were some cars that were important to the story as well as actual attendance at a powwow, and I just kept thinking of "NDN Kars" by Keith Secola. I had to start there.
11/5 “NDN Kars” by Keith Secola
Looking for some inspiration, I found that the ACLU has a Native American Heritage Month playlist compiled by their Native and Indigenous staff. Listening to that, I found other songs that I liked and wanted to include.
In some cases they were inspired by the list. For example, I used a different Testament song than the one that was on the list, but I had not even had Testament in mind, so the list was still helpful.
Also, this playlist is how I discovered that Romeo Void's Debora Iyall was Cowlitz; I'd had no idea.
11/6 “Yellowstone” by Digawolf
11/7 “I’m Alive (Life Sounds Like)” by Michael Franti
11/8 “Idle No More” by Pura Fé
11/9 “Why” by Supaman
11/10 “American Dream” by Raya Zaragoza
11/11 “Fallen Soldiers” by Inez Jasper feat. Fawn Wood
11/12 “Train, Train” by Blackfoot
11/13 “Imigtaq” by Riit
11/14 “Peace and Power” by Joanne Shenandoah
11/15 “Witchi Tia To” by Jim Pepper
11/16 “I Didn’t Know” by Sugluk
11/17 “The Devil Is a Blue-Eyed Man” by Celeigh Cardinal
11/18 “Bombs Over Baghdad” by John Trudell
11/19 “La Danza Azteca” by Nauhuatl Sound System
11/20 “Heart Song” by Ronnie Spector
11/21 “Cherokee Morning Song” by Walela
11/22 “Future Street” by Martha Redbone
11/23 “Closer Still” by Douglas Spotted Eagle
11/24 “Soft Stud” by Black Belt Eagle Scout
11/25 “Pueblos” by Sara Curruchich feat. Lila Downs
11/26 “Vibrant Colors” by Zoon
11/27 “Inter-Tribal” by Thunder Mountain Singers
11/28 “Love Song” by Nukariik
11/29 “Native Funk” by Burning Sky
11/30 “The Big Ones Get Away” by Buffy Sainte-Marie
12/1 “Big City Dreams” by Adrain Sutherland
12/2 “Just Too Easy” by Romeo Void
12/3 “Trail of Tears” by Testament
12/4 Ghost Dance by Bill Miller
I had also had in mind to give all of the artists with Halloween songs other songs, so I did some additional listening to each of those ten artists (as well as RedCloud who is from my own list).
I gave more than one extra song to Link Wray. I regret nothing.
12/5 “Wovoka” by Redbone
12/6 “Slinky” by Link Wray
12/7 “Broken Arrow” by Robbie Robertson
12/8 “Immutaa” by Beatrice Deer
12/9 “Dangerous Games” by Derek Miller
12/10 “Would You Know Love” by Crystal Shawanda
12/11 “Landback” by Kristi Lane Sinclair
12/12 “Put Your Feathers On” by Blue Moon Marquee
12/13 “Burn It Down” by Lightning Cloud feat. Pigeon John
12/14 “Electric Pow Wow Drum” by Halluci Nation
12/15 “Complicated” by Breach Of Trust
12/16 “Ice People” by Link Wray
12/17 “Tapatio” by RedCloud feat. Pigeon John
At this point we were getting pretty close to Christmas. I was looking up Christmas songs by Indigenous artists, as well as looking for playlists. (I did find some, but they weren't as good.)
I also started remembering old favorites, and wanting to work them in.
First of all, I would hate to omit the Snotty Nose Rez Kids, and I found a timely one that was even featured on Resident Alien, which I am totally going to watch some day.
12/18 “Bougee Natives” by Snotty Nose Rez Kids
I thought a lullaby was a nice start in to the Christmas music even if it was not particularly Christmas-themed. It may have been kind of uneven to go from "Bougee Natives" to a lullaby then to two songs that are really more humorous in nature. I did get more traditional after that.
12/19 “Lakota Lullaby” by Robert Tree Cody
12/20 “Twelve Indian Days of Christmas” by War Scout
12/21 “Stuck in the Smoke Hole of Our Tipi” by Elder Oldhands
12/22 “Away in a Manger” by John Two-Hawks
12/23 “The First Noel” by Douglas Blue Feather
12/24 “O Holy Night” by Jana Mashonee
12/25 “Christmas Night (Arbeau’s Orchésographie)” by Bill Miller
12/26 “Coventry Carol” by R. Carlos Nakai with William Eaton
12/27 “Holly and Ivy” by Painted Raven
12/28 “O Sanctissima” by Alice Gomez
Then it was back to old favorites.
As hard as it can be for me to include Jeremy Dutcher without including "Mehcinut", I thought "Ancestor's Too Young" was a better companion to Frank Waln's "Concentration Camp Blues". They may also be better-suited for this time.
12/29 “Concentration Camp Blues” by Frank Waln
12/30 “Ancestors Too Young” by Jeremy Dutcher
Then I ended with Michael Bucher's "Don't Forget About Me".
That's not the first time I have ended a sequence on him, but it remains important.
This is a time led by abusive people and loud distractions where it can feel impossible to keep up and stay grounded.
We still need to try.
12/31 “Don’t Forget About Me” by Michael Bucher
Resist.
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