Mato Nanji

Indigenous
Origin	Marty, South Dakota, United States
Genres	Blues rock
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Pachyderm Records Vanguard Records Blues Bureau International (current)
Website	http://www.indigenousmusic.net/
Members	Mato Nanji Derek Post Charles Sanders II
Past members	Horse Wanbdi Pte Brent Fitz Chaney Bryant Michael Bland Ray Mehlbaum Jesse Tate Kris Lager Jeremiah Wier Andrew Tyler ACWright

Indigenous is an American blues rock group that came to prominence in the late 1990s. The band originally consisted of two brothers, Mato Nanji (Maiari) ('mah-TOE non-GEE' vocals and guitar, born 1974), Pte ('peh-TAY' bass guitar), along with their sister, Wanbdi ('wan-ba-DEE' drums, vocals), and their cousin, Horse (percussion).

Their music is influenced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana. Mato Nanji's style and skill has drawn comparisons to each of these guitarists. The band has also shared the stage with artists of varying musical genres such as B.B. King, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, the Indigo Girls, Jackson Browne, Dave Matthews Band, and Los Lonely Boys. The band has headlined its own tours several times.

The Nakota Nation members grew up on South Dakota's Yankton Indian Reservation, where their father, Greg Zephier became a spokesperson for Native American rights. A musician in his own right during the 1960s and 1970s, Zephier provided his children with records from blues musicians such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Freddie King, and taught them to play their respective instruments. The family started touring together, and soon the children were performing on their own.

The group released their debut album, Things We Do on Pachyderm Records in 1998. In 1999, Indigenous won three Native American Music Awards for their debut record, including two top honors: Album of the Year and Group of the Year.

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Wikipedia