Thus, in Aboriginal culture, song and dance become the means of the transmission of history, allowing a complex system of laws and identities to be passed through generations, and thus to survive. Lila Downs spoke with NPR's Rachel Martin about the stories behind "Dark Eyes" and why she believes some people's labor, even if it's been deemed essential, goes under-recognized. You know, plural and multicultural, just as all of the U.S. is. There were morning songs, ceremonial songs, social songs, birth songs, death songs and numerous songs for passages in life. Just amazing. "My mother is an Indigenous woman who migrated with my father to Minnesota ... and so I think I live through her vision and through the concern that she always had to not forget her origin, and therefore my origin.". In other words, Michelle Latimer is white. Freedom is a protest song that hits at the heart strings and for many Indigenous people. Here are 14 books to check out. I remember dancing to this in front of the TV on Saturday … Light-skinned Aboriginal people often face challenges on their Aboriginal identity because of stereotyping. In the 1980's an Indigenous rock/reggae group came onto the Australian music scene and released an album titled Wrong Side of the Road which featured the song We Have Survived which resonated with how Indigenous people felt living in Australia. This song would be a song used in Indigenous Rights protests all over the country and even to this day is heard at protest marches. Oh, yeah, I think there are several people. Students will consider how cultural identity is reflected in the work. By Rachel Martin, Vince Pearson & Taylor Haney • 5 hours ago. Lila Downs: Definitely. "I saw an old man, Mother. I do remember that my grandmother, and also my mother, she will talk about, "Oh, this is the year of the locust," or "this is the year of a particular butterfly." Rachel Martin: Tell me about this song. With the guidance of an Elder, Knowledge Keeper, or singer/songwriter, students will listen to songs and understand the meaning behind the lyrics. You have certain species that announce a particular event in nature. Bart Willoughby was considered by Bob Marley as one Australian’s answer to rock/reggae and even today his style influences many popular Australian bands. Lila Downs' New Song Is About Indigenous Workers' Invisible Labor Downs speaks with Rachel Martin about "Dark Eyes," a song inspired ... her tricultural identity played a role. You guessed it and making a second showing in our list, it's Yothu Yindi with … Just like Treaty the track 26 January became anthem that would open a much needed discussion about Australia Day in 2017. Her song … And he came to Mexico City when I first moved there, and he wanted to go to the U.S., of course. Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for Mexican Americans in the United States. Released in 1991 Treaty was number one on the Australian music charts elevating the song and the band to become a voice for treaty and protest in the country. Aboriginal people define Aboriginality not by skin colour but by relationships. The Morning Edition Song Project, where we ask musicians to write an original song about the COVID era, continues today with Lila Downs. And I think that both the farm workers and the service workers are the people who still are connected to that," Downs says. So when she agreed to contribute to the series, her tricultural identity played a role. Tribal Voice is a calling song; a calling to listen to your tribal voice – a voice that unites us all. 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