“Just look at us. Everything is backwards. Everything is upside down. Doctors destroy health. Lawyers destroy justice. Universities destroy knowledge. Governments destroy freedom. The major media destroy information and religions destroy spirituality.”
The following quote from Micheal Ellner is used as the intro for “Let Em Go,” the latest song from Supaman, a Native American rapper and fancy dancer from the Apsáalooke Nation. Ellner’s quote is an apt description of degressive ideals that contribute to the detriment of society.
The lyrics of “Let Em Go” examine the imbalance of a world where “half the world’s starving and the other trying to lose weight, judging others on who’s great and who’s fake.”
The lyrics also address commercial greed which places profit before people, the Trump administration’s racist attitudes towards Mexicans, and the hateful practice of putting children in cages.
The song is accompanied by a powerful music video which features Apsaalooke Jingle Dress dancer Monica Davis. Embracing and preserving indigenous art forms that were victims of efforts to assimilate is an important part of healing from the past wounds of cultural genocide.
The video concludes with the words “no one is free until we are all free.” This well sums up the song’s message of letting go of practices and ideologies that are used to oppressed others.