Ed_Kabotie_and_Tha_'Yoties
Tha 'Yoties
American reggae rock band
Tha 'Yoties, occasionally called Ed Kabotie and Tha 'Yoties, are a reggae rock band based in Flagstaff, Arizona.
According to band leader Ed Kabotie, Tha 'Yoties "bring awareness to the issues and cultures of tribes on the Colorado Plateau" by performing "reggae and classic rock, with an upbeat, danceable style." He has described it as edutainment and New Native Folk.[1]
The band's music addresses such topics as the pollution of Navajo lands by abandoned uranium mines, the protection of cultural sites, and the colonization of the Americas. Kabotie states that they "play in a hopeful vibe, but also drop some bombs about injustice."[1] For example, their song "Don't Worry, Be Hopi" (an allusion to Bobby Ferrin's 1988 single "Don't Worry, Be Happy") describes thousands of years of history of the Hopi sovereign nation.[2][3]
Tha 'Yoties have had multiple performances and album recordings in Flagstaff's Orpheum Theatre.[4][5][6] The band has performed and released multiple tributes to 1970s Native American rock band, XIT.[7][8]