Music video raises COVID-19 awareness among tribal youth
Tribal musician Shadow Devereaux, also known as Foreshadow, poses near Ninepipes Lodge outside of Charlo while shooting his music video for a new song titled, "Protect Your People." This song is released as part of the CSKT COVID Youth Community Care and Awareness Campaign. (Photo provided by Shadow Devereaux)
A new effort has been launched in the campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of the COVID-10 virus to Native American tribes in Montana.
Shadow Devereaux, also known by his stage name Foreshadow, or Shadow, a Salish and Blackfeet hip-hop artist from the Flathead Indian Reservation in Northwest Montana, has released a YouTube video titled “Protect Your People” for the CSKT Youth Campaign aimed at ages 12 to 18.
Devereaux’s video follows on the heels of one released recently by 25-year-old Artie Mendoza III — known as KiidTruth — of Pablo. Mendoza’s TikTok dance and song that teaches Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal youth about the importance of such practices as hand washing, wearing face masks and practicing social distancing quickly went viral on YouTube.
Both music videos and TikTok dances emphasize tribal values and the need to protect tribal elders who are at greater risk of becoming ill if infected by the coronavirus.
On his video Devereaux writes: “This is a message to my people, man. This isn’t just about US. This is about our elders. Protect your people. Preserve your culture. Protect your culture.”
According to a press release from the Tribal Education Department of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Devereaux’s sound is described as a blend of modern trap rap and boom bap that includes descriptive lyrics which illustrate his own life experiences. As a child growing up on the reservation, it states, Shadow found his passion for music at the age of 7 when his father gave him a cassette tape recording of Tupac’s greatest hits. As he listened to it religiously, he became enamored with hip-hop, and at age 15, he recorded his first rap song. Since then, he has remained motivated to make a living through an art form that he truly loves.
Shadow has shared the stage with well-known musicians Waka Flocka Flame, Machine Gun Kelly, Yelawolf, Deltron 3030, Tech N9ne, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. He was also the keynote speaker for a high school graduating class, organized a show for the youth on his reservation, and collaborated on a youth music project titled “Healing Through Music.”