GREAT FALLS — The Firekeeper Alliance is a nonprofit committed to reducing suicide rates in the Blackfeet Nation.
Robert Hall, a Firekeeper Alliance board member, said, “I don't know a single person in my community that hasn't had (an) intense face to face run-in with suicide. It's very prominent here.”
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Hall explains that they are looking for new ways to cope with suicidal thoughts - and one of those ways is through music.
Hall said, “Oftentimes we have emotions that we really can't express vocally, but, put a musical instrument in that person's hand and then they'll be able to express it sonically.”
This has led to a partnership with the Fire In The Mountains Music Festival, which is a heavy metal music fest taking place at the Red Eagle Campground this summer.
Hall said, “It's really going to be a cultural exchange between metalheads and Blackfeet. And I think that's…special.”
However, some may wonder - why metal music?
Charlie Speicher, director of Firekeeper Alliance, explained, “Heavy music is a style that goes right at darkness and such is life. You know that we need to confront our distress and our anguish and to meet it head on to be able to, transmute it and to process it and work through it.”
Speicher explains that this goes beyond a four-day summer festival.
Speicher said, “We're jamming music all day long in school. We've partnered with Fire In The Mountains, to reallycreate pathways for our students to be involved in the heavy music scene and to really put it on the map in Browning, Montana.”
Festival director Jeremy Walker provided the graphic below and stated: "QR code and access code for discounted tickets for people exclusively from Montana."
Browning schools are offering the heavy music symposium class, where students have the opportunity to learn more about the music and festival workings, getting hands on experience job-shadowing that will help them in the future job market.
On Tuesday, Fire In The Mountains visited the Blackfeet Nation for a feed, and to show how dedicated and excited they are to perform for the community.
Hall said, “We're cooking up hundreds of burgers, and handing them out to people. And if they're interested in coming to the festival, then we have the people here representing the festival they could talk to.”
The alcohol-free festival takes place July 25-27, and all are welcome.
You can learn more about the Firekeeper Alliance by clicking here, and Fire in the Mountains Festival by clicking here.
