The guitarist Robin Davey is from the UK. Yellow Thunder Woman, the lead singer of the group, is a Native American. The Bastard Fairies won the American Indian Motion Picture Best Music Video Award in 2006.
They also set up a YouTube account where they upload music videos and such. Recently they uploaded a political video in which an 8-year-old girl criticized people who say that video games and certain music damage children. This video has been a hot topic of discussion in the US.
Websites:
www.bastardfairies.com
www.myspace.com/thebastardfairies
https://www.youtube.com/@bastardfairies
Ten Little Indians
The Bastard Fairies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Ten little Indian boys
One little, two little, three little Indians
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
One little, two little, three little Indians
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Ten little Indian wives
One little, two little, three little Indians
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Ten little Indian tribes
The lyrics to The Bastard Fairies' song "Ten Little Indians" are a controversial adaptation of the traditional children's song, "Ten Little Indians." As the song progresses, it replaces various nouns with different groups of Indian people, including Indian boys, girls, wives, and tribes.
At first glance, one might interpret the song as a playful twist on a childhood classic. However, upon closer inspection, the lyrics hold a much darker meaning. The song may be interpreted as a commentary on the genocide of Indigenous people by European colonizers. The repetition of the lyrics applies to the systemic decimation of Native American people over the course of history. The phrase, "Ten little Indian boys," becomes a reference to the hundreds of thousands of Indigenous children who were forcibly removed from their families and placed in residential schools in Canada and the United States. The other adaptations of the lyrics also highlight the subjugation, marginalization, and oppression of Indigenous people.
The song's lyrics are provocative and thought-provoking, but they might be polarizing to some due to the violent and genocidal history of European colonization in America. The Bastard Fairies' use of the traditional melody and re-write it to provide social and political commentary raises questions about artistic freedom and cultural sensitivity.
Line by Line Meaning
One little, two little, three little Indians
Counting off the Native American people as if they were insignificant or small
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Continuing to count off Native Americans in a dismissive manner
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Further dehumanizing and reducing the Native American population to a mere statistic
Ten little Indian boys
Treating Native American men as inferior or unworthy of respect
One little, two little, three little Indians
Continuing to disregard and belittle Native Americans
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Continuing to view Native Americans as objects rather than human beings with their own culture and history
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Persistently failing to recognize the diversity and complexity of Native American tribes and cultures
Ten little Indian girls
Viewing Native American women as nothing more than objects or possessions
One little, two little, three little Indians
Continuing to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and prejudices towards Native Americans
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Continuing to minimize and erase the lived experiences and struggles of Native Americans
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Continuing to perpetuate the systemic oppression and marginalization of Native American people
Ten little Indian wives
Belittling and objectifying Native American women as nothing more than subordinates to Native American men
One little, two little, three little Indians
Continuing to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and prejudices towards Native Americans
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Continuing to disregard and dismiss Native American history and contributions to society
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Continuing to perpetuate the erasure and marginalization of Native American voices and stories
Ten little Indian tribes
Reducing the complexity and diversity of Native American cultures and traditions to mere groups of people
Contributed by Cooper T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Canadian Bushcraft
Why'd Squanto look like a Western tribe, with a horse, Roach headdress, and war shield?
truesks
why 12 hours?