Viki Eagle (Sicangu Lakota) (Rez Metal) with Kristy Martinez (Guest Host)

“And she wore this Iron Maiden T-shirt and she wore these Navajo moccasins. And I was like, wow, that's like the coolest picture to this day that I think I've ever taken.”

In recognition of Indigenous Peoples' Day and the upcoming Native American Heritage Month, Punkast welcomes Kristy Martinez, UCLA PhD candidate and researcher, as guest host and producer for conversations with Indigenous scholars, musicians, and community organizers across punk and adjacent scenes.

Kristy speaks with Viki Eagle (Sicangu Lakota), a photographer, anthropologist, and educator whose work explores Indigenous creativity, alternative music, and community. Growing up in Denver's urban Native community, Viki found belonging in the punk, emo, and metal scenes along Colfax Avenue. These experiences inform her research documenting rez metal in the American Southwest through photography, ethnography, and community engagement.

Kristy and Viki discuss how journalists, filmmakers, and academics represent Indigenous metal communities. While acknowledging hardship, loss, and resistance, Viki challenges narratives that overshadow musicians' artistry, joy, and community. They explore Indigenous visibility, media stereotypes, and Viki's photography project Real Life Indian, which challenges conventional images of Native identity. From an Iron Maiden T-shirt paired with Navajo moccasins to everyday portraits, Viki emphasizes self-representation, consent, and community relationships.

The conversation also moves through Indigenous punk, metal, and emo; academic research; and the importance of creating spaces for musicians, students, and communities to connect. Kristy and Viki discuss rez metal concerts, the UCLA symposium, all-ages shows, DIY organizing, and bringing Indigenous music and knowledge into university spaces. They consider everyday acts of resistance and close with recommendations for Indigenous punk and metal bands worth discovering.

Content note: This episode includes brief discussions of Indian boarding schools, forced relocation, school shootings (including Columbine), mental health, suicide, and stereotypes linking emo and metal to self-harm.

About the guest

Viki Eagle is a Sicangu Lakota and Japanese photographer, anthropologist, and educator from Denver, Colorado. Her project Real Life Indian documents contemporary Indigenous lives and challenges stereotypes of Native identity. Her research explores rez metal through photography and ethnography, and she organizes concerts and community programs connecting Indigenous musicians, scholars, and audiences.

Guest host and producer

Kristy Martinez is a UCLA PhD candidate researching Indigenous punk, alternative music cultures, and BIPOC emo communities in Southern California. As guest host and producer, she brings her research, musical knowledge, and relationships with Indigenous scholars and artists to Punkast.

Links + References:

Real Life Indian - Viki Eagle

Native Bruins: Viki Eagle - UCLA American Indian Studies Center

Ancestor's Rez Metal: (Re)Mapping an Indigenous Sonic Resistance

Credits:

Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz.

This episode is guest-hosted, produced, and edited by Kristy Martinez.

Transcript:

Audio-synced transcript

Theme Music:

Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits.

Related:

Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast.

About Punkast:

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration.

Connect with Punkast:

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Email: punkastucla@gmail.com

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