Dioganhdih and Chhoti Maa | Indigenous hip hop artists and activists

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Bennington College’s virtual concert & lecture series, Music Mondays from the Carriage Barn, presents a performance and Q&A with hip hop artists and activists Dioganhdih and Chhoti Maa in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Chhoti Maa was born in Guanajuato, Mexico and is currently based in Oakland, California. She is a multidisciplinary cultural producer with six self-released projects (2 studio albums, 4 eps) in her 12 years as an MC, singer, and producer. Her music is rooted in hip hop, neufolk and Mexican oral tradition, specifically her Grandma's storytelling magic. As part of the post-NAFTA diaspora, Chhoti Maa was formed by her migrant experience. Since 2007, Chhoti has performed, collaborated and taught in Puerto Rico, China, US, Cuba, Spain, Qatar, U.A.E., Ghana, Sweden, Canada, Peru, Mexico and multiple Indigenous nations. Their music deals with decolonial living, red medicine, queerness, migrant empowerment, love and the reconstruction of the womyn temple.

Dioganhdih is a queer indigenous MC decolonizing the game through her bold lyricism that directly confronts sexuality, gender identity, and the struggles of an urban Native lifestyle. With a musical upbringing rooted in traditional Iroquois ceremonies and celebrations, Dioganhdih incorporates the rhythms of her Cherokee and Mohawk lineage into her work as a hip-hop artist. The result is undeniably fresh: uninhibited flows, distinct sounds, and a trademark humor that makes even the most uncomfortable topics entertaining.