Speak/Sing Native™ Artist Archive
"Uncle" Jimi Hendrix
ancestry
by Sean Aaron Cruz
Jimi Hendrix’s career and worldwide presence exploded in 1967 with his trio’s unforgettable performance at the Monterey Pop Festival and the release of his debut LP Are You Experienced. In just four short years before his death from a drug overdose in 1970, Jimi Hendrix gained recognition as one of the greatest guitarists in the history of the instrument.
In the 21st century, Hendrix remains as influential among musicians and audiences as he was in the 20th, particularly among electric guitarists. Covering and mastering Jimi Hendrix’s songs is a challenge only the most highly skilled guitarists can meet, and at least six Native American guitarists have crossed that threshold: Micki Free, Derek Miller, Mato Nanji, Levi Platero, Stevie Salas and Cameron Osceola. Among them, they have performed and recorded these six Hendrix songs:
Jimi Hendrix tribute covers:
Micki Free (Cherokee/Comanche) Voodoo Child/Red House/Hear My Train A-Comin’
Derek Miller (Six Nations of the Grand River) Voodoo Child
Mato Nanji (Ihanktonwan Nation) Red House/Hear My Train A-Comin’/ Voodoo Child/Little Wing
Cameron Osceola (Seminole Tribe of Florida) Little Wing/Voodoo Child
Levi Platero (Navajo Nation) Little Wing/Third Stone from the Sun/Angel/Red House/Voodoo Child
Stevie Salas (Mescalero Apache Tribe) Little Wing
Professional Information
Musician, songwriter, bandleader
Guitar, Vocals
Video
No entries match your request.
Tribal Information
also known as "Cherokee"
Traditional lands and Reservation
When first contacted by Europeans, “the Nation held dominion over a sprawling territory comprised of much or most of the modern states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.” A forced removal, the “Trail of Tears” relocated them to what is now a 14-county reservation in Oklahoma, with many At Large tribal members located all over the world.
Languages
Tsalagi (Cherokee) is the traditional language of the Cherokee Nation. Fluent speakers are dwindling and the tribe is making massive efforts to ensure that the next generations will be able to speak the language that expresses so much in a way that English does not capture.
Tsalagi has a written form that is based on a syllabary rather than an alphabet. Each spoken syllable in the language is represented by one of 85 distinct characters.