By Baamaa-pii
We are Red Willow Collective, an Indigenous-led collective based in Minot, North Dakota. The punk scene here has been organizing DIY all-ages events and shows since the early ‘90s, keeping underground music alive in a state where it often goes unnoticed. For decades, Minot has been booking punk shows and sustaining this DIY ethos. Red Willow Collective builds on that legacy as a First Nations-led extension of the scene, honoring those who came before us while forging a new chapter centered on all-ages events, safer spaces, and community-driven music organizing.
We are dedicated to creating a music scene that reflects our roots, values, and the diverse artists who keep it thriving.
The Red Willow Collective is about more than just music and art, it’s about building spaces where people can connect, heal, and imagine something beyond survival. We organize community-driven events that highlight Indigenous and other marginalized voices, fostering a culture where creativity and resistance go hand in hand. Whether it’s hosting performances, workshops, or community gatherings, we’re creating platforms that break isolation and build relationships rooted in solidarity. Liberation starts with connection, and we’re committed to holding space for those often left out of mainstream conversations.
We envision a world where we are not just pushing back against oppression but building systems that make it irrelevant. A world where art isn’t a privilege but a necessity, where culture isn’t commodified but shared freely, and where community care replaces the individualism that keeps us fragmented. Instead of just resisting harm, we want to cultivate spaces of self-determination, where healing, storytelling, and expression are the foundations of our collective future. The more we create spaces on our own terms, the less power oppression has over us.
We stay engaged because our survival, both as individuals and as a people, has always depended on community. The Indigenous nations of North Dakota, all of Turtle Island, have endured relentless attempts to erase us, from forced removal and boarding schools to resource exploitation and cultural suppression. Yet, we are still here, not just surviving, but creating, resisting, and thriving. What has carried us through generations of hardship is our connection to one another. It’s the people, the conversations, the moments of understanding, the shared laughter in spaces we build together. Our ancestors survived through kinship, through care, through collective action. We continue that tradition every time we gather to make music, organize, and uplift each other. It’s how we honor our elders and spirit.
Even the smallest acts of showing up, creating art, speaking our truths are part of something much larger. We refuse to let silence be the default, because silence is complicity. Art, music, and community keep us grounded. They remind us that resistance is not just about reacting to oppression; it’s about carving out spaces where we can imagine and build something better.
We keep showing up because every time we do, we prove that another way of living, one rooted in care, creativity, and possibility is not only necessary but already happening.