image description
Christian Takes Gun Parrish in dancing regalia that expresses his native culture. The award-winning musician appears Saturday at Mass MoCA.

Supaman Brings Blend of Native, Hip Hop Stylings to Mass MoCA

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Award-winning performer Supaman will be showcasing his unique style of music that incorporates Native culture, comedy, and urban hip hop at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art this Saturday. 
 
Supaman said he shares his music in an effort to empower everyone and share stories to make a better world.
 
"I'm always trying to empower young people, whether they're native or not, whoever it is, trying to bring human beings together in unity, and celebrate diversity at the same time," the artist said in a recent phone interview.
 
With an open heart and open mind, he believes that humanity can take the first step in trying to listen. Through listening, he believes we can open ourselves up to our "empathetic heart and understanding" bringing us all together to celebrate diversity.  
 
"When we come together, and we share our culture, our stories with one another, we understand each other better. And we're able to support each other and move forward for better humanity," Supaman said.
 
Christian Takes Gun Parrish is a member of the Apsaalooke Nation and was raised on the Crow Reservation in Montana. He founded a Native American hip hop group in the early aughts and has so far released four solo albums. 
 
He always been a spiritual person as part of the culture he was raised in and has alway been open to the universe. After a spiritual encounter during his youth, Supaman was drawn to make an impact on his audience members. 
 
"When I was traveling around being a knucklehead I would pray and pray. And I was like, 'OK, I need guidance' and I believe that it was the creator of the universe, guiding me. And it's kind of like asking me what I wanted to do with this music stuff," he said. 
 
"And so I kind of made that decision in traveling that I wanted to be good, you know, I wanted to do things good and spread good messages rather than just being a knucklehead." 
 
Dancing is a major aspect in the Apsaalooke Nation's culture and when someone wants to dance it is a big thing that brings the community together. There are many different types of dances such as the fancy shawl, traditional, chicken, jingle dress, and many more.
 
"So there's like, a few categories of powwow culture. Powwow culture is almost a kind of universal, native culture. It's becoming a universal type of culture. So different tribes adopt the different styles of dance that come from other tribes," Supaman said. "And it's accepted in the powwow arena. And then there's also your own dance that comes from your tribe that people still practice and those might be more ceremonial, more spiritual."
 
When someone wants to dance, the family comes together to make the regalia in preparation for the dance. There are many different styles of regalia and each piece represents the wearer in some way.  
 
The regalia that he wears on stage is a contemporary style that comes from Oklahoma and was assembled by his wife and daughter to bring him good vibes while performing.  
 
During the time of the Relocation Act and the Indian Removal Act, policies were put into place to "Kill Indian, Save the Man" which silenced the customs of the Native people, he said. Dancing was outlawed at one time because they were not allowed to be native.
 
This trauma is still felt which is why Supaman believes it is so important to share the culture in an effort to inspire. 
 
"We're constantly still feeling those waves of trauma. And so sharing the culture, the dance, and sharing your stories, inspires people to be resilient no matter where they're at, in their life, whether they're native or not, to keep fighting for what you value, what, what you believe is good," he said. 
 
The performance begins at 8 p.m. in Club B10 on Saturday. Tickets are $16 or $22 on Saturday, for students, $12, and can be purchased here. Masks are required and proof of vaccination for those 5 and older. 

Tags: mass moca,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Clarksburg Joining Drug Prevention Coalition

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The Select Board has agreed to join a collaborative effort for drug prevention and harm reduction.
 
The new coalition will hire a North County community coordinator who will be headquartered on the North Adams Regional Hospital campus and who oversee allocations for harm reduction, education and prevention efforts. Berkshire Health Systems has also committed about $120,000 over the next five years. 
 
Clarksburg, one of the first communities to sign on to the opioid lawsuit filed by a consortium of states several years ago, has so far received payouts of $23,594.78. It's expected to receive nearly $64,000 by the end of the 16-year payout. 
 
In October, the board had discussed whether to pool that money with other communities, expressing concerns that the small town would not receive enough benefits.
 
"Anytime there's a pooling of money I think countywide, I think we know where the bulk goes to," said member Colton Andrew said Monday. "I'm more open to the idea of keeping the money here but open to hearing your intentions and how the mony will be allocated."
 
Chair Robert Norcross said he felt there seemed to be a focus on harm reduction, such as the use of Narcan, and not enough for prevention or problem-solving.
 
But after hearing from members of the nascent coalition, members voted Monday night to partner with other Northern Berkshire communities.
 
View Full Story

More North Adams Stories