At some point in time, most people will question who they are or who they’re supposed to be. Countless poets, songwriters, philosophers and anyone of the like have tried to put into words what we, as human beings, are doing on this earth. As a young boy, Nahkohe Parayno struggled with identity problems in living as an adoptive child in Oregon.
Talented young Nahko was surrounded by outstanding wilderness throughout his youth, and transformed his questions about life, nature, and love into music. Nahko started a band called Medicine for the People, seeing his own growth and healing from what music had given him. Through his travels, Nahko has gained dedicated followers, called the Medicine Tribe, who are both truth-seekers and find something that resonates in their soul from Nahko’s soothing voice, rhythmic guitar playing, and lyrics that carry hard-hitting messages. Nahko was joined by Hope Medford, who exuberantly plays percussion for the Medicine Tribe.
I first heard about Nahko and Medicine for the People at the Electric Forest Music Festival in Rothbury, Michigan. I heard stories about this phenomenal reggae band that played with such vigor and heart, a band who created a movement of love and understanding. It wasn’t until AllGood Music Festival in Legend Valley, Ohio that I actually witnessed Nahko and Medicine for the People.
Their soft reggae, sometimes verging on spoken-word, music that I heard through Pandora did them no justice compared to their live performances.
Nahko and Medicine for the People does something that many music groups struggle to achieve: they bring huge groups of people together for an hour of uplifting, healing, and unity. There’s always singing. There is always smiling, and sometimes there is crying.
Nahko gives us a glimpse into the journey we are on as human beings, as children of the earth, as brothers and sisters. The Medicine Tribe shows us “all the shifting shape and ways you can be” and tells us to “wake the dreams into realities.” I personally have had an experience so spiritual as when I was dancing and singing in the sunlight to Nahko and Medicine for the People. They grab hold of the very essence of who you are and let you soar above the crowd. Nahko picks you up and gives the tools you need to be the master of your own life. They are a colorful rainbow made up of their own members and the Medicine Tribe who follow them dutifully.
Nahko, Hope and the other members of Medicine for the People play with such euphoria that it’s nearly impossible to not feel their melodies in every cell of your body. Whether you’re getting over a broken heart, a failed exam, or you’re simply not sure of who you are, Nahko has the answers. He’ll wrap them up special, just for you, but only hand them over if you promise to love your journey and yourself. You may not always know your place in this world, or where it is you’re headed, but if you need him, Nahko will always be there as a hand to hold and a voice of everlasting comfort.
I had the pleasure of talking with both Nahko and Hope, as they were wading through the sea of people after their set. Giddily, I tried to communicate to Hope what their music had just given me, but words evaded me.
Hope simply laughed and smiled.
She understood.