Davina Two Bears is a Navajo woman proud of her culture.
Once a week, Two Bears provides her listeners contemporary and traditional Native American music with a show called “Native Music,” which airs from 10 a.m. to noon the first and last Sunday of the month on 91.3 and 98.1.
“I have always loved Native American music and Native American musicians,” Two Bears said.
Originally from Arizona, Two Bears grew up on and off the Navajo reservation. The importance of music in her culture extends down generations.
“Music for my tribe and a lot of other tribes is really important because its prayer,” she said. “For my tribe, singing and music is used in our religious ceremonies. Music is used for our health, mentally and physically.”
While growing up, Two Bears was influenced by the Native American rock band XIT. Two Bears and the other DJ she shares the program with don’t limit their genre. The music ranges from country, to hip-hop, to rock and features a variety of Native American music and artists. A recent playlist included music from Winnebago Sons, Smokeytown Singers, Fawn Wood, XIT, Sharon Burch and Indigenous.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and her master’s degree from Northern Arizona University, Two Bears began studying at IU. She is receiving a Ph.D in the Department of Anthropology at IU-Bloomington and concentrating on archaeology and social context. Two Bears plans to become a professor to educate others about Native American culture.
Two Bears’ dissertation highlights the actions of the United States’ federal government to assimilate Native American children in the 20th century. Two Bears talks about how children were disciplined for speaking the Navajo language while in government-sanctioned boarding schools.
Her research includes the history of the Old Leupp Boarding School, a former major Navajo Indian boarding school. Two Bears plans to encourage students in research projects that bring light to certain archaeological subjects.
“Going to Dartmouth was really hard for me,” Two Bears said. “Especially the first year I didn’t have a lot in common with my classmates. It was so different to what I was used to.”
Two Bears describes the challenges she faced as a Native American woman, such as battling stereotypes. While attending public school, Two Bears was the target of racial slurs. From her experiences she chose to be positive and succeed in school.
As an adult, Two Bears dreams of educating and teaching. She said she wants more Native American children to be proud of their family history and to not be ashamed of their identity.
By celebrating her identity, Two Bears has become more confident.
But it’s the music around her that gives her a link to her tribe and culture. Two Bears said she looks up to the musicians that instill powerful messages in their music. She said she enjoys music that uplifts Native American people and the different tribes because of our social ills.
She said her community, and many other communities, struggle with problems with poverty, high suicide rates and low graduation rates from schools.
“Music can even educate the non-native listeners about Native American history and what issues native people have today,” Two Bears said.
