‘Tha Yoties’ new tour brings attention to Indigenous people, lands of Colorado Plateau

Tha Yoties, a Native American reggae and rock band, is just as much about environmental justice as it is about the music.

The national tour, called the Xoyote Soldier Tour, kicked off in Flagstaff June 8, but has taken them to New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Indiana, Oklahoma and California with stops at reservations, museums and educational institutions.

The tour features Tewa Hopi singer/songwriter Ed Kabotie, Dine/Dakota flautist Hunter Eagleman RedDay, Dine/Apache singer/songwriter Sage Bond from Red Lake on the Navajo Nation, Angie Baker on drums and Alec Tippett on lead guitar.

Kabotie said the purpose of the tour is to raise a heartfelt cry for the Indigenous people and lands of the Colorado Plateau region, while comparing social and environmental struggles that Indigenous people face in other parts of the country.

By Stan Bindell

’Tha Yoties,’ Xoyote Soldier Tour purpose is to bring attention to the Indigenous people and lands of the Colorado Plateau through awareness and education of the crowds they play to. Above: ‘Tha Yoties’ at the Museum of Northern Arizona during a recent performance. (Katherine Locke/NHO)