Photo by Morten Munthe

Last month, Norwegian folk metal collective Wardruna delivered an incredible performance as the headliners of this year's Fire In the Mountains festival in Montana. The destination event held in the serenity of the Red Eagle Campground in the Blackfeet Nation, offered an incredible combination of musical curation and environment - with a one-of-a-kind backdrop rooted in a reverence for nature and all its majesty. 

Underscoring that reverence and the community built around it, Wardruna have shown their gratitude in the wake of the memorable performance, by sharing a vital donation to the Firekeeper Alliance - a non-profit committed to reducing suicide rates among the Blackfeet Nation and other indigenous communities.

Photo by Bobby Cochran

Through the sale of a limited edition shirt, designed by a student of the Blackfeet Nation specific for Fire In the Mountains, Wardruna was able to generate some $14,000 in sales to donate to the Firekeeper Alliance. In total, more than. 500 shirts were sold both at the event and online, generating the important funds to help aide the organization. 

“It makes us profoundly happy and proud to see that the Wardruna community all over the world responded with a genuine desire to support the Firekeeper Alliance, their cause, purpose and work,”Wardruna explained.

“True light-work is about daring to name and face the shadows, the dark and the pain. Thank you Firekeeper Alliance for your important work with suicide prevention. It was deeply moving to see the positive ripples of this work at Fire in the Mountains. Keep the fire burning!”

Framing the lasting effects of Fire In the Mountains, Wardruna’s Einar Selvik emphasized just why the band was compelled to express their gratitude. “As for many others, our experience is hard to put into words. It was one of those events that changes people and views."

Director of Firekeeper Alliance Charlie Speicher spoke to the notion of community that has galvanized around Fire In the Mountains and expressed his gratitude to everyone involved. “The connection between FITM, FKA, Wardruna, By Norse and AISAmusic is one of the most powerful relationships I’ve been a part of. 

This support of our mission and the work we are doing means a lot to us. From the very bottom of our hearts, thank you. This gesture, and everything else you have supported us with, is going to translate directly to creating a safer world here for our loved ones. Please know that your love, support, and generosity has lifted our organization to allow us to help our community in ways we never dreamed would be possible.”

Wardruna's highlight set at Fire In the Mountains precedes their upcoming North America tour set to begin next month. The band will be treeking in support of their latest album, Birna and will feature fellow FITM alum Chelsea Wolfe as support. See the complete list of dates and cities below. Get tickets - HERE