Indigenous hip-hop star Supaman visits Wisconsin reservation, spreading motivation and Native pride. Here's what to know.
KESHENA - Award-winning Indigenous hip-hop star Supaman visited the Menominee Nation last week and dazzled with his lightning-fast traditional dances and inspired with his positive messages.
Indigenous hip-hop is known for its uplifting messages and addressing serious issues in Indian Country. Supaman’s lyrics are no exception, as they instill a sense of pride in being Native American.
He visited with all three school districts on the reservation to perform and share his experience with sobriety.
Later in the day, Supaman paid a visit to the Menominee Community Center, where he met with fans, signed autographs and performed again.
It was all part of events in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month.
“Supaman really brings that spirit of community through his music,” said Beth Waukechon, Indigenous wellness director for the College of Menominee Nation.
She said there’s a high rate of drug abuse on the reservation and Supaman’s positive messages can help to empower people to change for the better, providing “music as medicine.”
The Culture of Wellbeing Health Fair at the community center provided attendees with information about suicide prevention, mental health, domestic violence and behavioral health, among others.
Lindsay Besaw, who helped organize the event, said Menominee was experiencing a high rate of suicide since the pandemic.
She said Native Americans, overall, experience higher rates of suicide because of higher rates of poverty and sense of disconnectedness from their culture as a result of assimilation.
Natasha Verhulst, who teaches Native American music at Keshena Primary School, was instrumental in inviting Supaman to Menominee.
As a fan, she incorporates Supaman’s music into her own lesson plans for students.
Teaching Native American music: Natasha Verhulst wasn’t taught Native American music in school. Now a teacher, she’s changing that.
Verhulst saw Supaman perform at UW-Green Bay last year and asked him after the show if he’d be willing to come to Menominee sometime, and he agreed.
She said Supaman provided the children with motivational messages about being kind, staying sober and showed them how they should be “Proud to be who we are as Indian people.”
Ten-year-old Xavier Housewaka said he recently became a fan of Supaman and has been constantly watching his music videos on his phone.
He said he likes all the dances and his favorite video, so far, is “We Are One.”
Supaman said he felt very welcome at the Menominee Nation.
“It was good all day,” he said. “There’s been nothing but love and the kids are really excited.”
Supaman said he spoke with them about founding strength as a Native through their culture and that nobody is alone.
During his concert at the community center, he offered a prayer in the Apsaalooke language.
Supaman said that language is thousands of years old and if he had a coin that was thousands of years old people would say that is worth something.
“That’s how we need to think about our language,” he said.
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He said he also wanted to try his stand-up comedy routine with them.
Supaman joked that a teacher walked into a classroom of rez kids and wrote the word “custom” on the chalkboard and asked one of them to use it in a sentence.
The teacher called on a boy with braids who said, “My brother ate all the frybread, so my grandmother cussed him out.”
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Food sovereignty: At Bodwéwadmi Ktëgan, this Wisconsin tribe is using ‘circle of life’ techniques to feed its people. Here’s how.
Frank Vaisvilas is a Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.You can directly support his work with a tax-deductible donation online at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Indigenous hip hop star Supaman visits Wisconsin Menominee reservation
