The Neville Brothers confirm this New Orleans cultural sleight- of- hand survival tradition in their own appearances in this film.)Ī stunning political note is struck by Buffy Sainte- Marie’s shocking account of how her career was damaged by overt governmental hostility to her outspoken Indian rights activism. (Boudreaux recounts his family memories of how Black folks, even as slaves, were often treated better than “Injuns”-that is, they were allowed to stay alive-in the Old South, and so his dark-skinned Indigenous family let the false impression stand that they were African American. A stunning example is Monk Boudreaux’s revelation that the New Orleans “Mardi Gras Indians”-among whom he is revered as a Big Chief-are not just paying respectful homage to Native American tribal cultures, but, in many instances, are actually of Indigenous “Indian” descent themselves. The film tells us how prominent performing artists who were themselves proudly aware of their Indigenous ancestry often kept that heritage out of general public awareness because of long-standing prejudices and false assumptions against Indians. The deft narrative of Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World is largely about super-talented Native American musicians “hiding in plain sight”. This brightly-edited, fast-paced yet thoughtful new documentary movie is not so much about Native American music per se-although Indigenous roots musicians like Ulali, Pura Fe and Buffy Sainte-Marie make important on- screen appearances-as it is about how Native American musical geniuses-and their treasured Indigenous musical traditions- played essential roles in blues, jazz and, especially, “big-time” American rock. Link Wray, Charley Patton, Howlin’ Wolf, Monk Boudreaux Shine Among the Many Native American Creators of Blues, Jazz and Rock Celebrated in Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
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