Native American Music Awards 2014 Winners

The 15th Annual Native American Music Awards were held November 14th at the Seneca Allegany Events Center. Here is the complete list of this year's winners.

The Native American Music Awards celebrate an incredible diversity of Indigenous artists in over 30 categories of music, spoken word and historical recordings.

This year's winners included Mato Nanji (of the group Indigenous) for Artist of the Year, A Tribe Called Red, who took home Best Music Video for the song "Sisters" featuring Northern Voice, The Ollivanders who won Best Rock Recording, Bear Fox for Songwriter of the Year, Sihasin for Debut Group of Year, Leah Shenandoah for Debut Artist of the Year, and many others. Check the complete list of winners below.

Native American Music Awards 2014 Winners 

Artist of the Year: Mato Nanji, Vanishing Americans

Best Blues Recording: Vanishing Americans, Indigenous

Best Compilation Recording: Don’t Let Me Forget, Kelly Montijo Fink

Best Country Recording: Woman Of Red, Tracy Bone

Debut Artist of the Year: Leah Shenandoah, Spektra

Debut Group of the Year: Sihasin, Never Surrender

Best Female Artist: Rita Coolidge, A Rita Coolidge Christmas

Best Folk Recording: Keeper of the Dreams, Red Feather Woman

Flutist of the Year: Rona Yellow Robe, The Gathering

Best Inspirational Recording: Grace & Grit: Chapter I, Dark Water Rising

Group of the Year: Plenty Wolf Singers, Medicine Wolf

Best Historical/Linguistic Recording: Heart of the Buffalo, Richard Stepp & Rick McKee

Best Instrumental Recording: The Long Journey Home, Ryan Little Eagle Molina

Best Male Artist: Jimmy Wolf, A Tribute To Little Johnny Taylor

Best Native American Church Recording: Apache Peyote Songs, Joe Tohonnie Jr

Best New Age Recording: Bridge, Rushingwind & Mucklow

Best Pop Recording: Day After Day, Jamie Coon

Best Pow Wow Recording: Stoic, Tha Tribe

Best Producer: Kevin Chief, Honoring The Mazinikijik Singers

Best Rap Hip Hop Recording: One Tribe One Nation, The Council

Record of the Year: Romanze Songs of Tosti, Lawrence Harris

Best Rock Recording: Two Sons, The Ollivanders

Song of the Year: Witchi Tai-To – Water Spirits, Shadowyze, Caren Knight Pepper and Jim Pepper

Songwriter of the Year: Theresa "Bear" Fox, Diamond

Best Spoken Word Recording: Grandfather Speaks, Ken Quiet Hawk

Best Traditional Recording: Spirit of Thunderheart, Rising

Best Music Video: Sisters ft Northern Voice, A Tribe Called Red

Best Waila Recording: In Loving Memory of Our Beloved Father & Uncle, Family Pride

Best World Music Recording: Nature Dance, Joanne Shenandoah

Native Heart: Lex Nichols, The Long Road

Lifetime Achievement: Jim Boyd

Rising Star: Gareth Laffely

For more information visit: nativeamericanmusicawards.com

BEST MUSIC VIDEO WINNER: A Tribe Called Red's "Sisters (ft. Northern Voice)"

Native American Music Awards 2014: Full List of Nominees

The 15th annual Native American Music Awards are set for November 14, 2014 at the Seneca Allegany Events Center. Check out the full list of nominees and vote for your favourite Indigenous artists.

The Native American Music Awards are a staple of the Indigenous music awards circuit and every year they hand out nods to an astonishing diversity of Indigenous artists in over 30 categories of music, spoken word and historical recordings. This year is no exception. From country and hip-hop, to pow wow and gospel, and even, um, "new age", the NAMAs span the widest possible spectrum of Native American music. A Tribe Called Red, Samantha Crain, and Bear Fox are all up for multiple awards this year—but there are many, many more nominees to listen to and choose from.

Voting is currently underway in all categories and winners will be announced on Friday, November 14th at the NAMA gala at Seneca Allegany Events Center. The awards show will be streamed live on FNX.org and broadcast on FNX Television.

Cast your ballot and listen to a 116-track playlist of this year's NAMA nominees right here.

Native American Music Awards 2014 Full List of Nominees

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

• Jan Looking Wolf Reibach (Conf. Tribes of Grande Ronde – Kalapuya) - Tamanawas
• Joanne Shenandoah (Oneida) – Nature Dance
• Mato Nanji (Lakota/Dakota) – Vanishing Americans
• R. Carlos Nakai & Will Clipman (Navajo/Ute) – Awakening The Fire
• Ryan Little Eagle Molina (Lakota/Apache) – The Long Journey Home
• Wade Fernandez (Menominee) – Breathe & Flow

BEST BLUES RECORDING

• A Tribute To Little Johnny Taylor – Jimmy Wolf (Mohawk)
• Back To Clearlake Oaks – Twice As Good
• Blues Joose Vol 2 - Joel Johnson (Tuscarora)
• Lakota John and Kin - Lakota John and Kin (Lumbee/Oglala)
• Red Kroz Bluez Band - Red Kroz Bluez Band (Munsee)
• Vanishing Americans – Indigenous

BEST COMPILATION RECORDING

• CTR Country Mix – Various Artists
• Dawn's Early Light - Various Artists
• Don't Let Me Forget - Kelly Montijo Fink
• Earth Bound Angel – Various Artists
• Putumayo Presents Native America – Various Artists
• The Hopson Live Session - Various Artists

BEST COUNTRY RECORDING

• 3 of a Kind - John McLeod (Cree)
• Bring It On – Donny Parenteau (Metis)
• Senorita Dreams – Wayne Garner (Cherokee/Apache)
• Tribute - Victoria Blackie (Navajo)
• Tyra Preston – Tyra Preston (Navajo)
• Woman Of Red – Tracy Bone (Ojibway)

DEBUT ARTIST OF THE YEAR

• David Rose – Wind Dance Under The Moon
• Gabrielle Knife (Lakota Sioux) – Ohiya Ku WInyan
• Gareth – The Journey
• Leah Shenandoah (Oneida) - Spektra
• Nitanis “Kit” Largo (Various) – Serenity
• Robert Mullinax (Cherokee) – Dream of a Sacred Song

DEBUT GROUP OF YEAR

• A Tribe Called Red (Cayuga/Ojibway) – A Tribe Called Red
• Fabulous Ripcords (Oneida) - Voo Doo Girl
• Iskwew Singers (Metis/Cree/Saulteaux) – Kamawinan: Songs of Our People
• Lightning Creek (Nez Perce) – Long Time Coming
• Sihasin (Navajo) – Never Surrender
• Women of Heart (Various) - Winds of Change

BEST FEMALE ARTIST

• Donna Kay (Metis) – Uncover Me
• Jamie Coon (Creek/Seminole) – Day After Day
• Rhonda Head (Cree) - Nikumoon
• Rita Coolidge (Cherokee) – A Rita Coolidge Christmas
• Tracy Bone (Ojibway) - Woman Of Red
• Victoria Blackie (Navajo) - Tribute

BEST FOLK RECORDING

• Adageyudi – Clear Water Drum (Cherokee/Yaqui/Metis)
• Songs to Keep the Earth Alive - Good Shield Aguilar
• Heart of the Buffalo– Richard Stepp and Rick McKee (Keetoowah)
• Home Grown - Storm Seymour (Meskwaki)
• Keeper of the Dreams - Red Feather Woman (Assiniboine/Sioux)
• Kid Face - Samantha Crain (Choctaw)

FLUTIST OF THE YEAR

• Cal Silverfox Lopez (Apache) – To Touch The Sky
• Douglas Blue Feather – Dawn of a New Light
• Jan Looking Wolf Reibach (Conf. Tribes of Grande Ronde – Kalapuya) - Tamanawas
• Jonathon Maracle Ohwihsha (Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte) – The Clearing
• Rona Yellow Robe (Chippewa Cree) - The Gathering
• Tony Duncan (Apache/Ankara/Hidatsu/Mandan) – Native Son

BEST GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL RECORDING

• Don’t Let Me Forget – Kelly Montijo Fink
• Grace & Grit: Chapter I – Dark Water Rising (Lumbee)
• Love & Kindness - Golana (Cherokee) & Peter Kater
• Nikumoon - Rhonda Head (Cree)
• Season of Joy – Yolanda Martinez (Apache)
• Speak To The Sky – Storm Seymour (Meskwaki)
• 12. GROUP OF THE YEAR

GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Dark Water Rising (Lumbee) - Grace & Grit: Chapter I
• Indigie Femme (Navajo) – Te Hau Waiati
• Injunuity (Various) – Fight For Survival
• Plenty Wolf Singers(Oglala Lakota) – Medicine Wolf
• Rushingwind & Mucklow (Cahuilla) – Strong Horse
• Sweethearts of Navajoland (Navajo) – From The Heart of Dine Nation

HISTORICAL/LINGUISTIC RECORDING

• Chillin’ Rez-Style - Will and Jesse Lee (Lakota)
• Heart of the Buffalo – Richard Stepp and Rick McKee (Keetoowah)
• Intikana (Arawak/Taino) – Native Eyez
• 2 Worlds - Nataanii Means (Oglala Lakota, Omaha, Dine')
• Mescalero Apache Creation – Fred Kaydahzinne (Apache)
• Te Hau Waiati - Indigie Femme (Navajo)

BEST INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING

• Awakened By The Noon Day Sun - Mwalin (Mashpee Wampanoag)
• Fight For Survival - Injunuity (Choctaw)
• Journey To the Sun - Sun Shadows (Choctaw/Navajo)
• Strong Horse - Rushingwind & Mucklow
• The Long Journey Home - Ryan Little Eagle Molina (Lakota/Apache)
• The Clearing - Ohwihsha (Mohawk)

BEST MALE ARTIST

• Jimmy Wolf (Mohawk) - A Tribute To Little Johnny Taylor
• Lawrence Harris (Choctaw) – Romanze – Songs of Tosti
• Randy McGinnis (Cherokee) – Smoky Mountain Dreams
• TerryLee Whetstone (Cherokee) - One People
• Tony Duncan (Apache/Ankara/Hidatsu/Mandan) – Native Son
• Wayne Silas, Jr (Menominee) – Infinite Passion

BEST NATIVE AMERICAN CHURCH RECORDING

• A Good Day, A Better Tomorrow - Cheevers Toppah (Kiowa)
• Apache Peyote Songs - Joe Tohonnie Jr (Apache/Navajo)
• As It Was In The Beginning - Primeaux & Mike (Sioux/Navajo)
• Charity - Kevin Yazzie (Navajo)
• NAC Songs - Aaron Adson (Pawnee/Comanche)

BEST NEW AGE RECORDING

• Awakening The Fire - R. Carlos Nakai & Will Clipman (Navajo/Ute)
• Bridge - Rushingwind & Mucklow
• Dawn of a New Light - Douglas Blue Feather (Cherokee)
• Kamama - SilverWolf/Adelaunegv Waya
• Love & Kindness - Golana (Cherokee)
• Smoky Mountain Dreams - Randy McGinnis (Cherokee)

BEST POP RECORDING

• Colors - Indian City (Ojibway)
• Day After Day - Jamie Coon (Creek/Seminole)
• Feathers Rosary - Joey Stylez (Cree)
• Grace & Grit: Chapter I – Dark Water Rising (Lumbee)
• Spektra - Leah Shenandoah (Oneida)
• Touch - Raphael (Mescalero Apache)

BEST POW WOW RECORDING

• Elder’s Vision: Pow Wow Songs Recorded Live @ Ky1 Yo - Blackfoot Confederacy (Various)
• In Harmony Again - Big River Cree
• Loyalty to the Drum - Northern Cree (Cree/Various)
• Right Now - Bear Creek (Various)
• Save Me A Lead - Young Spirit (Various)
• Stoic - Tha Tribe (Various)

BEST PRODUCER

• Donald Blackfox – Earth Bound Angel
• Eddie Webber – Apache Blessing & Crown Dance Songs
• Kevin Chief (Algonquin/Oneida) – Honoring The Mazinikijik Singers
• Lynn Coulter, John Mc Duffie, Randy Landas, John Thomas - A Rita Coolidge Christmas
• Peter Blackwell – Mescalero Apache Creation
• Robert Doyle – Awakening The Fire

BEST RAP/HIP HOP RECORDING

• Crunk Nativez - Lil Mike & Funny Bone (Chocktaw, Pawnee)
• Native Eyez - Intikana (Arawak/Taino)
• One Tribe One Nation – The Council (Sounthern Ute, Jemez Pueblo, Taos Pueblo)
• Quese Imc & Cempoalli 20 (Pawnee/Seminole) – Osahwuh
• Rainy Days – Tha Native featuring Stuxx
• Warriors Arise - Makardi (Navajo)

RECORD OF THE YEAR (Traditional & Contemporary)

• A Rita Coolidge Christmas - Rita Coolidge (Cherokee)
• A Tribe Called Red – A Tribe Called Red (Cayuga/Ojibway)
• Breathe & Flow - Wade Fernandez (Menominee)
• Native Son - Tony Duncan (Apache/Ankara/Hidatsu/Mandan)
• Romanze – Songs of Tosti - Lawrence Harris (Choctaw)
• The Gathering – Rona Yellowrobe (Chippewa Cree)

BEST ROCK RECORDING

• Fire and Brimstone: A Tribute To Link Wray - Band of Tribes (Shawnee)
• Never Going Home – The Gun Runners (Onondaga)
• Never Surrender - Sihasin (Navajo)
• Surrender - George Leach (Sta’ atl’ imx)
• The Journey – Gareth Laffely (Mi'kmaq/Cree)
• Two Sons - The Ollivanders (Mohawk, Oneida)

SONG/SINGLE OF THE YEAR (Contemporary / Traditional)

• “Diamond" - Bear Fox (Mohawk)
• “Love Of My Life” – Spencer Battiest (Seminole)
• “Runnin’ On Empty” –Shadowyze & Shyanne (Creek, Cherokee, Han Gwich in Athabascan)
• “Song of the Wolf” – Graywolf Blues Band (Yaqui)
• "Sublime Gracia" - Yolanda Martinez (Apache)
• “Witchi Tai-To – Water Spirits” – Shadowyze, Caren Knight Pepper and Jim Pepper

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

• Brianna Lea Pruett (Cherokee/Choctaw) – Gypsy Bells
• Glen Bonham (Choctaw) - Glen Bonham
• Randy Granger (Choltan/Mayan) – Strong Medicine
• Robert Hollis aka Bobby Bullet (Lac du Flambeau) – Crooked Tear
• Samantha Crain (Choctaw)– Kid Face
• Theresa “Bear” Fox (St. Regis Mohawk) – Diamond

BEST SPOKEN WORD RECORDING

• Blessings - Fawn Wood & Dallas Waskahat
• Grandfather Speaks – Ken Quiet Hawk (Abenaki)
• Lost Angel – Cyrus Emerson (Cherokee)
• Man From The Sky - Soyota (Apache)
• Mescalero Apache Creation – Fred Kaydahzinne (Apache)
• The Little Rocks – Windfeather Navarez Bull (Navajo)

BEST TRADITIONAL RECORDING

• Apache Blessing & Crown Dance Songs - Joe Tohonnie Jr (Apache)
• Blessings - Fawn Wood & Dallas Waskahat
• From The Heart of Dine’ Nation - Sweethearts of Navajoland (Navajo)
• Honoring The Mazinikijik Singers - Mazinikijik Singers (Algonquin/Oneida)
• Moonlit Nights - Todi Neesh Zhee Singers (Navajo) - First Night
• Spirit of Thunderheart - Rising (Mohawk, Blackfoot, Cree, Cherokee)

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

• Love of My Life – Spencer Battiest (Seminole)
• Native Eyez - Intikana (Arawak/Taino)
• Prayer Loop Song – Supaman (Apsaalooke)
• Song of Survival – Red Eagle
• Women Across The River - Graywolf Blues Band (Yaqui)
• Sisters ft Northern Voice - A Tribe Called Red (Cayuga, Ojibway)

BEST WAILA RECORDING

• 2 Rivers Band– 2 Rivers Band (Tohono O’odham)
• Back To Basics - Cruz (Tohono O’odham)
• Embrace The Kaos – Dfaktion Nyne (Tohono O’odham)
• In Loving Memory of Our Beloved Father & Uncle - Family Pride (Tohono O’odham)
• Pisinemo & Company – Pisinemo & Company (Tohono O’odham)
• Tohono O’odham Waila Music, Volume 2 - Valenzuela & Company (Tohono O’odham)

BEST WORLD MUSIC RECORDING

• Dance of the Soul - Jessica Martinez Maxey
• Kurt Wyaco – Kurt Wyaco (Zuni Pueblo)
• Nagwetch - Wabanag
• Nature Dance - Joanne Shenandoah (Oneida)
• North Wind - Flying Down Thunder & Rise Ashen (Algonquin)
• To Touch The Sky - Cal Silverfox Lopez (Apache)

NATIVE HEART

• Big City Indians – May You Walk
• Cornell Kinderknecht and Martin McCall - Dreamtime
• Lex Nichols – The Long Road
• Peter Phippen – Sacred Spaces
• Emiliano Campobello & Kevin Donoho - Rockapelli
• Terry Frazier - By The Still Waters

Keith Secola's NAMA Hall of Fame Presentation

NDN Cars composer and music legend Keith Secola was honoured this year with an induction into the Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame.

Anishinaabeg blues rocker Keith Secola now carries the title of "Hall of Famer" after receiving the honour at the 2011 Native American Music Awards. The NAMA YouTube channel recently posted the presentation video of Keith's Hall of Fame moment. The video consists of a history lesson narrated by Keith himself and a fantastic testimonial by Oneida comedy pioneer and legend Charlie Hill.

Congratulations to Keith Secola from RPM for your accomplishments and Miigwetch for all your hard work and contributions to Indigenous music culture!

2011 NAMMY Award Winners: Native American Music Award Winners Announced

The 2011 Native American Music Awards were held October 7, 2011 in Niagara Falls, New York. The event brought together the biggest names in Indigenous music to celebrate the fantastic diversity of music being made in Indian Country.

Here is a complete list of the 2011 NAMMY award winners:

2011 NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARD WINNERS

ARTIST OF THE YEAR Gabriel Ayala - "Passion Fire & Grace"

BEST BLUES RECORDING "Indian Rock ‘n Roll" - Marc Brown & The Blues Crew

BEST COMPILATION RECORDING The Color of Hope - Various Artists

BEST COUNTRY RECORDING "Native Heart" - C.C. Murdock

DEBUT ARTIST OF THE YEAR Bear Fox - "Rich Girl"

DEBUT GROUP OF THE YEAR October Soul - "Don’t Turn Back"

BEST FEMALE ARTIST Becky Thomas - "Sacred Ground"

BEST FOLK RECORDING "The Long Way Home" - Don Amero

FLUTIST OF THE YEAR Cody Blackbird - "The Journey"

BEST GOSPEL INSPIRATIONAL RECORDING "My Jesus I Love Thee" - Yvonne St. Germaine

GROUP OF THE YEAR Pipestone - "As The Rez Turns"

BEST HISTORICAL RECORDING "Native Anthropology Challenge, Choice and Promise in the 21st Century" - Jack Gladstone

BEST INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING "Songs For Turtle Island"- Vince Fontaine

BEST LATIN AMERICAN RECORDING "Indians Colour" - Luis Capcha Vilchez

BEST MALE ARTIST Gary Small Wyoming (For Dummies)

BEST NATIVE AMERICAN CHURCH RECORDING "Love Songs of the Native American Church"- Kevin Yazzie

BEST NEW AGE RECORDING "Hymns" - Golana

BEST POP RECORDING "Hear Our Prayer" - Dylan Jenet Collins

BEST POW WOW RECORDING "Black Thunder" - Black Thunder Singers

BEST PRODUCER Stephen Butler - "Handprints of Our People"

BEST RAP/HIP HOP RECORDING "Scars and Bars" - Nake Nula Waun

RECORD OF THE YEAR "Full Circle" - Shelley Morningsong

BEST ROCK RECORDING "Tribal Thunder" - The Blessed Blend

SONG/SINGLE OF THE YEAR "Out of Many We Are One" - Joseph FireCrow, Thomasina Levy & Others

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR Josh Halverson - "These Times"

BEST SPOKEN WORD RECORDING "My Life Is My Sun Dance" - Harvey Arden and Leonard Peltier

BEST TRADITONAL RECORDING "The Gift of Life" - Randy Wood

BEST MUSIC VIDEO "Live As One" - Jan Michael Looking Wolf / Various Artists

BEST LONG FORM VIDEO "Journey To Soul Blessings" - Tony Redhouse

BEST WAILA RECORDING "Timeless" - Native Thunder

BEST WORLD MUSIC RECORDING "Kayas" - Rhonda Head

NATIVE HEART Bernhard Wolfsheart Weilguni - "Call of the Canyons"

HALL OF FAME Keith Secola

HALL OF FAME Nokie Edwards

Jim Thorpe Sports Award: Ted Nolan

Check out RPM's additional coverage of this year's events: Gabriel Ayala Wins Artist of the Year at the 2011 Native American Music Awards.

For more on this year's events and awards visit the NAMMYS website: 2011 Native American Awards and we offer our congratulations to all of this year's winners!

Gabriel Ayala Wins Artist of the Year at the 2011 Native American Music Awards

Yaqui classical guitarist Gabriel Ayala was honoured at the 2011 Native American Music Awards as Artist of the Year. Ceremonies were held at the Seneca Casino in Niagara Falls, New York on October 7th, 2011.

The "Nammys" boasts over 20 different award categories in numerous genres, as well as the Jim Thorpe Sports Award that was received this year by Ted Nolan, a well known Ojibway NHL hockey player and coach, who was also master of ceremonies for this year's event.

Legendary blues-rock guitarist Keith Secola, best known for his tune NDN Car,  was inducted into the Native Music Hall of Fame this year along side Nokie Edwards, a renowned Cherokee guitarist out of Lahoma, Oklahoma. Other winners include Don Amero and his album The Long Way Home for Best Folk Recording, Scars and Bars by Nake Nula Waun for Best Rap/Hiphop Recording and Vince Fontaine for his album Songs For Turtle Island, taking home the Best Instrumental Recording award.

Gabriel Ayala out of Tuscon, Arizona, is an accomplished classical guitar player that has been touring extensively in the last year throughout Canada, the United States and South America. His newest release, Passion, Fire & Grace was his submission into the 2011 Nammys that awarded him the coveted title of Artist Of The Year. Past recipients of this award include Litefoot, John Trudell, Keith Secola and Joanne Shenandoah, to name a few.

For a complete list of this year's winners of the Native American Music Awards as well as press releases, biographies and music streams, check out our post 2011 NAMMY Award Winners: Native American Music Award Winners Announced.

Here's a video from Artist of the Year, Gabriel Ayala's of his performance at this year's NAMA event.