Tyler Childers Honored By The Blackfeet Nation For Quietly Funding Language, Food & Youth Programs: “God Bless This Humble Man”

Tyler Childers continues to prove why he’s one of the most respected artists in country music.

Over the last few years, Tyler Childers has formed a close bond with the Blackfeet Nation, primarily located in northwest Montana. This story began when he visited the reservation a few years back and became friends with a man named Shawn. This meeting was what started Childers to rethink performing “Feathered Indians” during his concerts.

Although Childers admitted to GQ Magazine that he loved the song:

“That song has some of my favorite lines I’ve ever written, some of my favorite melodies. Not playing that song is going to make people think.”

When he was on the reservation, he hoped that many of the Indigenous men and women hadn’t heard “Feathered Indians,” as he did not want to offend them. Shawn revealed that his nephew was actually a big fan of Tyler Childers, but regardless, he had this realization:

“If there’s conversation amongst those individuals about whether they should be using that word or not, then it ain’t for me to be using. It’s not mine.”

Now, instead of playing the song, Childers and his wife, Senora, donate the royalties from it to help support Indigenous communities through grants and other forms of community aid. They do so through the Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund, which the Childers family established around the same time Tyler began exploring his relationship with the hit song.

Last year, Childers teamed up with Outrider Presents, the same group responsible for Under the Big Sky Festival, and put on a benefit show for the Blackfeet reservation, featuring Vincent Neil Emerson. The evening featured good music and traditions deeply rooted in the history of Native American tribes, like horse relay races.

The relationships that Childers has formed over the years have remained intact.

Now, news is breaking that he has been quietly funding programs on the reservation. He recently revisited the reservation to be honored in a ceremony and to see how various programs have utilized his funding. How much of that funding has come from “Feathered Indians” royalties hasn’t been disclosed, but at the end of the day, he is using it to make a positive impact. And he’s actually doing something.

The news about why he doesn’t play the song anymore was met with a ton of criticism about Tyler being “soft” or “woke,” and plenty of even worse pejoratives, but rather than obnoxiously virtue signaling like so many celebrities do… Tyler has quietly put in the work to benefit a cause he believes in. No glory, no accolades… I respect that. I saw plenty of comments from Native Americans who were admittedly big fans of the song and not offended in the slightest by the term, but it’s clearly something Tyler feels strongly about. He doesn’t lecture fans, he doesn’t remove it from streaming platforms, he just gives back behind the scenes… whether you agree with the reasoning or not, it’s hard to take issue with that.

Indigenous.TV on Instagram shared the news with a collection of images and stories from various languages, food, and youth programs, along with posts from tribe members praising Childers for his generosity. In the post, it also showed images of Childers after participating in a traditional ceremony honoring the work he’s done for their community.

Some of the organizations that received support from Childers include Backpacker’s Ferry, a transportation and customizable tours company located in East Glacier Part Village that is 100% Blackfeet owned, FAST Blackfeet, a food accessibility and sustainability group in Blackfeet Country, and Blackfeet Eco Knowledge, an organization dedicated to reversing the effects of historic trauma that have effected the people, culture, language, and environment.

Take a second to scroll through some of the posts made surrounding his visit to the reservation:

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A post shared by Emmette Leslie Dustybull (@dustybull_leslie)

The words in a post made by Bill Old Chief struck a chord with me about how much it means to the Blackfeet people that Childers has not only been supporting them but has taken time out of his hectic schedule to see firsthand what has been accomplished and where there is room to grow.

“You would be amazed at what has been accomplished because of their friendship and how it has benefited the Blackfeet people, especially the youth. God bless this humble man whose heart has captured the Blackfeet.”

The mutual respect the Blackfeet reservation has for Tyler Childers, as he does for them, is truly incredible. Tyler Childers is a phenomenal artist and perhaps an even more phenomenal person with a caring and generous heart. Say what you want about his political and/or religious beliefs, he’s humble, genuine and compassionate… some highly underrated qualities in today’s society.