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Nahko and Medicine for the People is an American world music group headed by the eponymous Nahko Bear. As of 2024, they have released five studio albums.
 | This article needs to be updated. (December 2023) |
Nahko and Medicine for the People | |
|---|---|
 Nahko and Medicine for the People in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Worldbeat, world music |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Medicine Tribe Records, Side One Dummy Records |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Website | nahko |
Nahko Bear was born in Portland, Oregon. Nahko is short for Nahkohe-ese, "little bear" in the Cheyenne language.[1] He self-identifies as being of Apache, Chamorro, Mohawk, Puerto Rican, and Filipino descent.[2] According to Indianz.com, he has not specified which Apache or Mohawk tribes he descends from.[3] Adopted by a white middle-class Christian family, he learned of his heritage after reconnecting with his biological mother as an adult. His birth was the result of rape, and his biological father had been murdered.[4] He learned to play the piano at the age of six and the guitar at fourteen.[5] He began his musical career by busking[6] and formed the band in 2008. Nahko and Medicine for the People play a fusion of styles often called world music, or worldbeat. The group's lyrics present a message of social and environmental consciousness.[7][8][9]
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Nahko and Medicine for the People have toured with Nattali Rize, Rebelution, Michael Franti, Trevor Hall, Dispatch, Xavier Rudd, and SOJA.[10] The band largely appears at alternative music festivals,[10][11] including the Greenbelt Festival,[12] the ARISE Music Festival,[13] and Tour de Fat.[13]
In 2017, Bear released a solo album titled My Name Is Bear, under the name Nahko.[14]
On July 8, 2020, following accusations from multiple individuals of sexually inappropriate behavior, Bear resigned from the board of Honor the Earth. In their statement, "Regarding Nahko", the board stated that they have "a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual behavior".[15]
After the initial surge of public interest, Bear responded to the accusations made against him. On August 10, 2020, he shared a statement on the band's Facebook page, in which he expressed regret to the women he had harmed through his inappropriate actions and disputed allegations against him as false.[16]
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Current
- Nahko Bear – vocals[2]
- Justin Chittams – drums[12]
- Joe Hall – lead guitar[17]
- Patricio Zuñiga Labarca – bass guitar[18]
- Max Ribner – trumpet[18]
- Tim Snider – electric violin[18]
- TJ Schaper – trombone[11]
Past[18]
- Hope Medford – hand percussion and rhythm[19]
- Don Corey – bass (recorded on Dark as Night)
- Chase Makai – lead guitar
Nahko and Medicine for the People
Studio albums
- Dark As Night (2013)
- On the Verge (2014)
- HOKA (2016)
- Take Your Power Back (2020)
- Trenches (2023)
Singles
Nahko
- My Name Is Bear (2017)
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