VIDEO: The Requiremento of 2012 - Native Youth Speak Out for Indigenous Peoples Day

In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day 2012, these Dartmouth University students had a message to share to mark the "discovery of Christopher Columbus."

Savage Media, the collective behind the short video published on Oct 7th of this year, is comprised of a group of students attending Dartmouth University. Inspired by sketch comedy collective The 1491s during a visit earlier this year to their school, these students are currently running a fundraising campaign to get their vision realized.

As Colorlines noted, in this inspiring clip, "Native students from Dartmouth College respond to The Spanish Requirement of 1513—in which Spain declared that it was ordained by God to take possession of what is known today as the Americas—with their own 'Requiremento of 2012'.”

We love seeing our young people stand up and represent themselves on our own terms—and for reminding us to celebrate that we are, indeed, still here...and still "savage and alive"!

For more information on their campaign, check them out on Facebook: RealSavageMedia.

For now, we here at RPM hope that everyone on Turtle Island has had an enjoyable, energizing, and family-filled long weekend, and the opportunity to think about what this holiday represents.

The Black Arm Band Company Holds a Mirror

Australia's The Black Arm Band Company is a music theatre group that reflects and expresses contemporary Aboriginal identity. NPR recently featured the muti-media music company on their work as protest, education and positive action.

From Aboriginal Musicians 'Band' Together To Expose Oppression, on npr.org:

A black arm band is a gesture of mourning around the world. But for aboriginals in Australia it has come to mean something else.

The "black arm band view of history" is a version of history that takes a critical — some would say militant — analysis of Anglo-Australia's mistreatment of indigenous people. Much like American Indians, indigenous Australians — who've lived on their continent for at least 40,000 years — have had their land stolen, treaties broken, and children taken away.

That's exactly what The Black Arm Band sings about. ...it's a kind of all-star protest music supergroup, featuring a rotating roster of Australian indigenous musicians who are all successful in their own right.

...Dan Sultan is a 28-year-old aboriginal rocker who's played with The Black Arm Band from the beginning.

"What The Black Arm Band is trying to do," Sultan says, "is open people up, open peoples' eyes up to the situation, just put a big ole mirror up so people can have a bit of a look at themselves."

Together since 2006, The Black Arm Band Company has produced 5 major productions, their most recent being Dirt Song which explored Aboriginal languages, and features both Indigenous and non-Indigenous performers, as well as international guests. In the below video, About Black Arm Band, member and songwoman Lou Bennett describes their work as "an act of reconciliation, that both black and white can co-exist and worth together to create beautiful, high, excellent art."

More from npr.org:

One of Australia's best known aboriginal singer-songwriters is 57-year-old Archie Roach. His most famous composition is his personal story of what have come to be called the Stolen Children. These are the aboriginal sons and daughters — especially mixed race children — who were forcibly removed from their parents by the Australian government to be raised by white foster families between 1870 and 1970. (Roach was 3 when he was taken away.)

..."We can be our own worst enemy," Roach says. "It's no use, us pointing the finger of blame at anybody else anymore. We gotta point our finger straight back at us. We can't blame colonialism anymore. We gotta get out of it, change our mindset."

It's well worth reading the full transcript, or listening to the 8 minute radio documentary at npr.org/2012/07/04/156204104/aboriginal-musicians-band-together-to-expose-oppression. To learn more about The Black Arm Band Company watch the below.

WATCH: About Black Arm Band

About Black Arm Band from The Black Arm Band on Vimeo.

VIDEO: Young Jibwe Speaks

Last year, Ojibwe hip-hop artist Young Jibwe attended the Mayday: No One is Illegal gathering in Toronto - an annual march and protest that takes place around the world in pursuit of equality and justice for immigrants and refugees. There, Young Jibwe was inspired to make an impromptu speech from the stage. A year later, he is sharing more of that story and inspiration.

Young Jibwe didn't plan on speaking at the March, but among the many placards and signs with messages of anti-poverty, environmental justice, and health for all, one sign in particular grabbed his attention: "Gay people are killed in Iran".

It's a true and disturbing fact.

Fueled by that information, Young Jibwe asked if he could speak from the stage and, mic in hand, he delivered spontaneous, impassioned and inspired words.

Later, he wanted to share more of the story behind his speech. "I wanted people to get a good insight of me, so they can see and hear the inspiration for themselves", he told RPM.

The result is this video with live footage of Young Jibwe's speech intercut with a candid and open offstage interview about his life experiences - including forced gender reassignment at birth, enduring harassment and abuse as a youth, discovering his past, and sticking with his music despite the difficult times. Through it all, Young Jibwe continues to transform his experiences into music - surely the best medicine of all.

Watch and listen here and be inspired to share your story too. I think whenever anyone is honest about their experiences, it can be healing for all of us.

For more of Young Jibwe's beats and music, go to reverbnation.com/youngjibwe (you can also hear some of his work in every episode of the RPM Podcast - yup, we're big fans!).

VIDEO: Young Jibwe Talks Success