BILLINGS — Mo Brings Plenty from Paramount's hit tv show 'Yellowstone' presented at the All American Indian Shootout basketball tournament at MetraPark in Billings on Friday and Saturday.
But he wasn't in town to promote the show—instead—he spread a message of empowerment to athletes and eventgoers.
Brings Plenty spoke briefly on Friday during one of the halftime shows, and went into more detail on Saturday.
“Whenever it comes to youth, I always want to be involved and in some way, shape, or form be an inspiration hopefully, encourage our young people, because the future is so bright,” Brings Plenty told MTN News on Saturday. “To honor the higher power, if I truly believe God is perfect, then why not look exactly how God created me to be.”
Brings Plenty spoke on the significance of hair in the indigenous community—and how crucial it is to pass down cultural values through the generations.
While he explained he has lived in many different areas, Brings Plenty is Lakota and grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota before making a name for himself in 'Yellowstone'. He is also a traditional drummer and singer.
“My outlook on life is that the moment I wake up, it’s already perfect and already good, so I try to remain it that way,” Brings Plenty said.
Brings Plenty spoke on "Boys with Braids", which is a movement aimed at sharing teachings about the sacredness of hair, fostering a sense of pride, and educating to interrupt teasing, according to their Facebook group.
“(I do this) hopefully to be able to unify people, and bring an understanding that we have a way more in common,” Brings Plenty said.
And this presentation meant a lot to eventgoers.
“It’s exciting, I’ll try to get a picture but there’s a lot of people that try to go up there,” said Aalyias Haugen, a player from Heart Butte.
And Brings Plenty hopes to be involved with "Boys with Braids" more in-depth in the future.
“The length of our hair is a representation of the possibilities of our spiritual connection to God," Brings Plenty said. "The longer it is, the stronger our relationship is.”
To learn more about the event, please click here.
To learn more about "Boys with Braids", please click here.
