The Native American blues-rock group Indigenous consists of three brothers, Mato Nanji (vocals and guitar, b. 1974), Pte ( bass guitar), and Horse ( percussion), and their sister, Wanbdi ( drums, vocals).
The Nakota Nation members grew up on South Dakota's Yankton Indian Reservation and were inspired by their father, Greg Zephier, who had been a musician in the 1960s and '70s and later became a spokesperson for Native American rights. The group released their 1998 debut album Things We Do on Pachyderm Records; the video for the title track was directed by Chris Eyre, who also directed the award-winning Native American film Smoke Signals.
The group released an EP, Blues This Morning, and a full-length CD, Live at Pachyderm Studios, in 1999, while winning acclaim from critics and artists like Bonnie Raitt, the Indigo Girls and Jackson Browne. The Circle followed in 2000.