Legendary Native American rocker
to perform, discuss Christian faith

Tom Bee [courtesy photo]

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer

REHOBOTH — In the 1970s, the Native American rock group XIT provided the soundtrack for the dawning of the American Indian Movement. And as the lead singer and songwriter of XIT, Tom Bee was in the middle of that fusion of Native pride, radical politics, and rock ‘n roll.

Several decades later, Bee is in the middle of another fusion — the fusion of Native culture, Christianity, and contemporary music. Now a Grammy-winning music producer living in Albuquerque, the Gallup native has become an outspoken Christian who advocates that Native Americans don’t have to give up their culture in order to be followers of Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, Bee will be a special guest at the Rehoboth Church, where he will perform some of his Native American praise and worship music and where he will discuss his views about the fusion of Native American culture and the Christian faith. He will be a guest musician in the 10:30 a.m. worship service, and he will be the featured performer in a 3 p.m. praise and worship service. The public is invited to attend.

Adopted at birth, Bee was raised in Gallup. Fascinated by music at a very young age, he decided to pursue a career in the music industry, which eventually led to the founding of XIT. The group’s two albums, “Plight of the Redman” and “Silent Warrior” became the anthem of young Native Americans throughout North America. But in 1996, Bee’s spiritual journey took a sharp turn when he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Bee has said he discovered that true “Red Power” is the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross at Calvary. In 2001, Bee won a Grammy Award, and he credited Jesus Christ during his acceptance speech on prime time national television.

Today, Bee and his wife, Vicki, are actively involved in their own Red Sea Ministries, which ministers to Native and non-Native inmates in prison. They also minister on various reservations and camp meetings. Bee’s music company, SOAR, produces a variety of contemporary Native music, including Christian music.

Bee’s appearance is being made possible through a Worship Renewal Grant from the Calvin Institute of Worship, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. The grant program has helped the Rehoboth Church sponsor a mini-series of three concerts with guest Native American musicians. The first two concerts featured noted Navajo vocalist Daniel Smiley and former Native American Church medicine woman Julia Redhouse.

According to local choir director Bob Ippel, one of the organizers of the series, the goal of the series has been to invite Native American Christian musicians to participate in a public dialogue about integrating Native culture with the Christian faith.

“Within the Native American Christian community there has been tension regarding the contextualization of the gospel,” said Ippel in an e-mail to The Independent.

“Within our church community we noted that this topic often has been avoided because it is so difficult to talk about. People have deep seated emotions. The two extremes are Christians who believe that nothing of their cultural identity is important and then others who believe in total syncretism.”

“The goal has not been to come up with a certain way of expressing one’s heart in worship,” Ippel added, “but to hear how people are expressing their heart in Christian worship.”

Information: Bob Ippel at (505) 726-9712.