One of the first things that I wrote down when I decided to look into the misrepresentation of Native Americans in popular cultures was "Village People Indian". I assumed that he was going to be one more in the long list of people with absolutely no Indian roots who was capitalizing off of an image that he had no connection to.
I was so wrong!
Felipe Swift Arrow Rose was the founding member of The Village People. His mother was Puerto Rican and his father was Lakota Sioux. He is an accomplished singer, dancer and has been very active in the Native American community. Check it out and get his full story on his wikipedia page or his personal website.
- Rose has won multiple Native American Music Awards for his solo work including "Best Historical Song" for "Trail of Tears" in 2002
- Donated his gold record for the single "Y.M.C.A" to the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian
- Donated the Village People's first gold record, a feather headdresses, and a jacket to the Seminole Tribe to display in their Casino
- Was inducted into the Native American Hall of Fame in 2007
- Is asked to present his motivational talk "Ethnic Diversity and Empowerment" at events around the country
- Makes donations to many charities benefiting Native Americans (Pink Shawl Organization in the pine Ridge Reservation, for example)
- Contributed millions of dollars with the Village People to the Native American College Fund and AIDS foundations
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