Indigenous (band)

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The Native American blues-rock group Indigenous consists of two brothers, Mato Nanji (vocals and guitar, b. 1974), Pte (bass guitar), their sister, Wanbdi (drums, vocals), and their cousin, Horse (percussion).

The Lakota Nation members grew up on South Dakota's Yankton Indian Reservation and were inspired by their father, Greg Zephier, who had been a musician in the 1960s and '70s and later became a spokesperson for Native American rights. The group released their 1998 debut album Things We Do on Pachyderm Records; the video for the title track was directed by Chris Eyre, who also directed the award-winning Native American film Smoke Signals.

The group released an EP, Blues This Morning, and a full-length CD, Live at Pachyderm Studios, in 1999. In 2000, they released Circle, a genuine and personal blues record. Their 2003 self-titled release, Indigenous on Zomba Recording, captured instrument-driven blues, and showcased Mato Nanji as a guitar virtuoso, as well as a seasoned vocalist and songwriter. The band released Long Way Home in 2005, on their own record label and mysteriously without the percussion of Horse. This seven song EP contains five originals, as well as an acoustic version of a past song, Rest Of My Days, and a live version of their first single, Things We Do. They have won acclaim from critics and artists like Bonnie Raitt, the Indigo Girls, B.B. King and Jackson Browne.