Here is the Full List of Nominees for the 2015 Indigenous Music Awards

Nominees for the 2015 Indigenous Music Awards were announced today. Here is the full list of this year's IMA nominees.

Formerly known as the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards, the newly re-dubbed Indigenous Music Awards announced their 2015 nominees today at a livestreamed press conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Celebrating 10 years of Indigenous music and culture, the IMAs support the wide range of music being made throughout Indian Country. Produced in partnership with the Manito Ahbee Festival, this year's awards week will be held September 9-13, 2015.

Hip-hop continues to be huge at the IMAs, with acclaimed artists Drezus and City Natives leading the nominations with four each—including Best Duo or Group, Best Hip-Hop CD, Best Music Video, and Single of the Year—while Los Angeles duo Lightning Cloud holds it down with three nods, including facing off against Drezus amid a strong list of contenders for Indigenous Entertainer of the Year.

Also look out for some fierce competition on the pow wow recording trail, where heavy hitters Black Bear, Cree Confederation, Northern Cree, Northern Voice and Stoney Creek are vying for Best Contemporary Pow Wow CD honours.

Voting in every category is now open to the public, so support the Indigenous music culture that we all love by visiting indigenousmusicawards.ca to cast your vote for your favourite artists and recordings.

Here is the full list of 2015 Indigenous Music Awards Nominees:

BEST ALBUM COVER DESIGN

BEATRICE DEER - Fox BLACKSTONE - Kaskite Asiniy ENTER-TRIBAL - Hitting The Trail FLORENT VOLLANT - Puamuna HELLNBACK - #FOE=Family Over Everything

BEST ACOUSTIC FOLK CD

CARY MORIN - Tiny Town CHELSEY JUNE - Finding Me JASON BURNSTICK & NADINE L’HIRONDELLE - Wrapped in Daisies JOSEPH STRIDER - Carbon 14 KELLY JACKSON - Renditions Of The Soul

BEST COUNTRY CD

ARMOND DUCK CHIEF - The One BOB E. LEE WEST - The Tree JODY THOMAS GASKIN - Born on the Rezz KIMBERLEY DAWN - Til The Cowboys Come Home THELMA CHEECHOO - Stay

BEST GOSPEL CD

CARL CRANE - Northern Man “A Little Bit of Me” DAWN KARIMA - The Stars Of Heaven DIANNE FOSTER - Holy Mighty Fire KELLY MONTIJO FINK - Don’t Let Me Forget YVONNE ST. GERMAINE - If You See My Savior

BEST DUO OR GROUP

CITY NATIVES DEE ERIN BAND GHOST TOWN ORCHESTRA INDIAN CITY JULIAN TAYLOR BAND

BEST HAND DRUM CD

ANTONE & CHIEFS - Antone & Chiefs BEARHEAD SISTERS - Our Angels MANITOU MKWA SINGERS - Manitou Mkwa Singers WAYNE SILAS, JR. - Infinite Passion YOUNG SPIRIT - Nitehe Ohci - From the Heart

BEST FLUTE CD

DAVID ROSE - Wind Dance Under the Moon JAN LOOKING WOLF - Wind Dreamer RYAN LITTLE EAGLE - My Songs My Stories STEVEN RUSHINGWIND - Red Beaten Path TONY DUNCAN & DARRIN YAZZIE - Singing Lights WILLIAM GREENLAND - The Journey Beyond

BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE OR FRANCOPHONE CD

FLORENT VOLLANT- Puamuna JAAJI - Nunaga (My Home, My Land) JONATHAN MARACLE - Karonyakdadeh Hymns of Mohawk Elders SEWEPAGAHAM - Sewepagaham

BEST INDIGENOUS MUSIC STATION / RADIO PROGRAM

A CONVERSATION WITH DAWN KARIMA NATIONAL ABORIGINAL MUSIC COUNTDOWN (NCI FM) NATIVE TRAILBLAZERS RADIO NATIVE WAVES RADIO

BEST INDIGENOUS SONGWRITER

ARMOND DUCK CHIEF - The One JASON BURNSTICK & NADINE L’HIRONDELLE - My Headstart Preschool JOSEPH STRIDER - Seven Arrows LIGHTNING CLOUD - Meet Me At The Pow Wow TOMSON HIGHWAY - Taansi, Nimiss WILL BELCOURT AND THE HOLLYWOOD INDIANS - Burn It Down

BEST INSTRUMENTAL CD

GERONIMO PAULETTE - Hard Road Out Of Hell MWALIM DA PHUNKEE PROFESSOR - Awakened By A Noon Day Sun SEAN BEAVER - Torn

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS RELEASE

AYRAD - Ayrad EMMANUEL JAL - The Key QUIQUE ESCAMILLA - 500 Years of Night TASHA T - Real Talk THE BASS INVADERS - Dance of the Fox

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

CITY NATIVES - Straight Chief’n DREZUS - Warpath INDIAN CITY - One Day KELLY DERRICKSON - Idle No More LIGHTNING CLOUD - Walk Alone

BEST NEW ARTIST

DEE ERIN BAND GABRIELLE KNIFE KELLY DERRICKSON KICKIN KROTCH NITANIS ‘KIT’ LARGO

BEST PEYOTE CD

DONJAY NELSON - Good Morning Dawn JAKE TYNER, EDMOND POOCHAY AND LANCE CROWE - Good Memories JOE TAHONNIE JR. - Ceremony LOUIE GONNIE - Spiraling, Ascending With Prayer SILAS & PIERCE BIGLEFTHAND - Northern Cheyenne Peyote Healing Songs

BEST POP CD

CLASSIC ROOTS - Hack The Planet JAMIE COON - Day After Day NIIKO SOUL  - Neon Warrior TOMSON HIGHWAY - Patricia Cano sings songs from The (Post) Mistress VICTOR PATRICK - Bound by Roots

BEST POW WOW CD - CONTEMPORARY

BLACK BEAR - Come & Get Your Love: The Tribe Session CREE CONFEDERATION - Kihtawasoh Wapakwani NORTHERN CREE - Northern Cree Breaking Boundaries NORTHERN VOICE - In Land We Trust STONEY CREEK - Dedicated

BEST POW WOW CD - TRADITIONAL

CHIPPEWA TRAVELLERS - Honouring Our Biish (Water) NORTHERN WIND - Northern Wind Bimaadiziwin TRAIL MIX - Str8 Forward

BEST PRODUCER / ENGINEER

ARMOND DUCK CHIEF - The One BEARHEAD SISTERS - Our Angels DREZUS - Indian Summer GHOST TOWN ORCHESTRA - Ghost Town Orchestra NIIKO SOUL - Neon Warrior

BEST RAP / HIP-HOP CD

CHIEF ROCK - A Warriors Journey CITY NATIVES - Red City CODY COYOTE - Lose Control DREZUS - Indian Summer HELLNBACK - #FOE=Family Over Everything

BEST ROCK CD

DEE ERIN BAND - Broken Road MIDNIGHT SHINE - Northern Man SCATTER THEIR OWN - Taste The Time THE DEEDS - Mother Nature WILL BELCOURT AND THE HOLLYWOOD INDIANS - Annie Baby

BEST TELEVISION PROGRAM / PROMOTION OF INDIGENOUS MUSIC

ABORIGINAL UNITY EXPERIENCE GUILT FREE ZONE THE CANDY SHOW

INDIGENOUS ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

ARMOND DUCK CHIEF CARY MORIN DREZUS LIGHTNING CLOUD RELLIK STEVEN RUSHINGWIND

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

BLACK BEAR - Come & Get Your Love II CITY NATIVES - Straight Chief’n CODY COYOTE - Warrior INDIAN CITY - Duet KELLY JACKSON - After All This Time RELLIK - My Voice

Check Out This Guide to 2015 Pow Wow Season Events Happening Across Indian Country

It's pow wow season once again—here's your guide to 2015 Pow Wows happening across Turtle Island.

It's almost summertime and you know what that means: it's time to hit the pow wow trail and enjoy visiting, dancing, drumming, and celebrating your way across Indian Country.

Our friends over at Windspeaker have put together a poster-sized calendar of upcoming pow wows for you to choose from. And, of course, PowWows.com continues to hold it down with their real-time, and recently updated calendar of events. RezX Magazine is also getting in on the action, with their own digital 2015 Pow Wow Guide.

The largest pow wow on Turtle Island, Gathering of Nations, may have already happened—but the rest of Indian Country is just getting warmed up.

No matter where you live, there's sure to be a pow wow nearby, so get that regalia ready, throw some gas in the truck, and we'll see you out there. Hoka!

Check the calendar below for an event near you.

2015 POW WOW CALENDAR OF EVENTS (click the image below to enlarge)

Watch the 2015 Gathering of Nations Pow Wow Grand Entry

Aboriginal Pavilion to Host Epic 10-Day Indigenous Music and Arts Festival in Toronto

The 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games in Toronto will get a huge dose of Indigenous culture this summer, during the Aboriginal Pavilion's inaugural arts and music festival.

We heard word about the Aboriginal Pavilion's plans a while ago, but we didn't realize the extent of what they were planning.

The festival is going to be huge.

Coinciding with the 2015 Pan Am & Parapan Games in Toronto, the Aboriginal Pavilion will bring together some of the most dynamic Indigenous artists and musicians from across Turtle Island to perform over the course of ten music-filled days—from July 17-26, 2015.

In addition to the music, the organizers are also planning to feature comedy, visual arts, traditional crafts workshops, artist talks, film screenings and a curated exhibition.

Keep an eye on the Aboriginal Pavilion site for the release of the full schedule, but for now, check out the festival concert listings. All events are free and open to the public. Performances will take place at the Fort York Historic Site's Garrison Common grounds (250 Fort York Blvd, Toronto).

And just look at who's performing. It's going to get hot in Toronto this summer. Be there or be colonized.

ABORIGINAL PAVILION FESTIVAL LINEUP:

• 1491s
• A Tribe Called Red
• Susan Agluklark
• Gabriel Ayala
• Mob Bounce
• Tomson Highway & Patricia Cano
• Cris Derksen
• Brendt Thomas Diabo
• Bitterly Divine
• Ruben Esguerra
• Leela Gilday
• Quetzal Guerrero
• Dustin Hollings
• Nigel Irwin
• Iskwé
• Iskwew Singers
• Elisapie Isaac
• Reyes Poetry & Sacramento Knoxx
• George Leach
• LightningCloud
• Cheri Maracle
• Jace Martin
• Melody McKiver
• Plex & Rellik
• Ryan McMahon
• Nadjiwan
• Sierra Noble
• Candy Palmater
• Lido Pimienta
• Amanda Rheaume
• Classic Roots
• Digging Roots
• Don Ross
• Crystal Shawanda
• Nick Sherman
• Logan Staats
• Ulali

The Aboriginal Pavilion Indigenous arts and music festival runs July 17-26, 2015. For more information visit www.alppavilion.ca.

Listen to A Tribe Called Red's "Suplex" EP and Watch Their New Wrestling-Themed Video

Off the top rope! A Tribe Called Red returns with a new EP and a wrestling-inspired video for "Suplex".

ATCR continues their consistent creative output with the release of their latest EP, Suplex. Premiering over at The Fader this morning, the Tribe dropped the hype new video for the EP's title track, which features an homage to 8-bit video games (c/o of Indigenous artist Steven Paul Judd), WWE wrestling (s/o to Tomas Marin), and an ATCR championship belt that's going to be the envy of every aspiring wrestler on the rez.

"Suplex" features A Tribe Called Red's signature sound: dancefloor-rocking beats expertly blended with the adept sampling of pow wow group Northern Voice.

The EP also features guest appearances from the likes of Hellnback and Smalltown DJs—expanding and deepening the group's sound to include not only rapid-fire MC accompaniment on "The People's Champ", but also outright four-on-the-floor trap madness on "Bodyslam".

So mask up and get ready to throw down. The Tribe is back with an unbroken kayfabe vengeance.

Stream the EP and check the full tracklist below.

Watch A Tribe Called Red - "Suplex"

STREAM: A Tribe Called Red - Suplex, EP

1. Suplex (feat. Northern Voice) 2. The People's Champ (feat. Hellnback) 3. Bodyslam 4. Bodyslam (Smalltown DJs Remix)

A TRIBE CALLED RED - SUMMER 2015 TOUR DATES

06/19 | Indian Beach | Fort McMurray, BC (FREE)

06/20 | Malkin Bowl | Vancouver, BC (Tickets)

06/23 | Neumos | Seattle, WA (Tickets)

06/24 | Doug Fir Lounge | Portland, OR (Tickets)

06/27 | Muscogee Creek Festival | Okmulgee, OK (FREE)

07/12 | PanAM Park – Echo Beach | Toronto, ON (FREE)

07/17 | GrassRoots Festival | Trumansburg, NY (Tickets)

07/18 | Aboriginal Pavilion – Fort York | Toronto, ON (FREE)

07/24 | Brandon Folk, Music & Arts Festival | Brandon, MB (Tickets)

07/31 - 08/02 | Osheaga Music & Arts Festival | Montreal, QC (Tickets)

08/07 | Indian Summer Showcase – Smithsonian Museum | Washington, DC (FREE)

08/12 | Parapan American Games – Nation Phillips Square | Toronto, ON (FREE)

08/15 | Up Fest | Sudbury, ON (Tickets)

Suplex is now available on iTunes and Spotify.

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

VIDEO: The 1491s - "REPRESENT Jingle Dance"

New video titled REPRESENT Jingle Dance from the sketch comedy group The 1491s in celebration of all of you out there listening to pow wow on your ipods.

Introducing Red Lake Ojibwe, Kayla Gebeck who studies linguistics and Native American Studies at Dartmouth College. Cinematography by Hillary Abe.

Enjoy REPRESENT Jingle Dance by The 1491s :

Directed and Edited by Dallas Goldtooth and Ryan Red Corn. Music by Little Otter.

Northern Cree's New Album "Drum Boy - Mistikwaskihk Napesis"

Famed pow-wow singers Northern Cree are set to release their new album, Drum Boy - Mistikwaskihk Napesis, and it's now available for exclusive pre-sale through Canyon Records.

From Saddle Lake, Alberta, Northern Cree have become the superstars of the pow-wow circuit, having performed together for over 30 years and received great acclaim in the music industry, taking home multiple pow-wow prizes and winning awards across Turtle Island.

Their latest release, Drum Boy - Mistikwaskihk Napesis, was recorded live in Saddle Lake and is guaranteed to keep your toes tapping and jingles jingling. From the first sounds of the album opener, Wanbli—"a virtual super-hit on the 2011 Pow-Wow Trail"—it's clear that the group is in top form and ready to deliver another instant classic collection of pow-wow hits.

Listen to tracks and pre-order the album now at Canyon Records.

Drum Boy — Album Tracklisting:

1. Wanbli (2:05) 2. Humble (5:10) 3. Fass and Grancy (2:04) 4. Kainai Krusher (4:55) 5. Hops-A Lot (3:47) 6. Slickzter (whistled, 9:52) 7. Pride (3:49) 8. Siouxdance (3:50) 9. Styles (3:19) 10. Tea Pot (4:31) 11. The Explosion (3:18) 12. Redman (4:00)

#PowwowWednesday: Candid Moments at the Samson Cree Pow Wow 2011

Hoka it's #powwowwednesday! There's always a lot of great photos of dancers in a powwow set, but what I love about this week's photos, taken at the Samson Cree Pow Wow last weekend in Hobbema, Alberta, is how much the photographer captured the candid moments and details.

The little things that truly paint a picture of the powwow experience, both telling a story and hinting at so much more.

These captured moments come from Anon DePlume on Flickr.

View the whole set: Samson Cree Pow Wow 2011.

Live Indigenous Music Picks: August 5-8, 2011

Hard to believe it's August already - but we've still got a few good weeks of festival and powwow season! Here's our live music picks for this weekend.

1. The Edge of the World Music Festival August 5-7 - Cree musician Wayne Lavallee headlines this festival in the exquisite landscape of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. More info: edgefestival.com

2. Festival Innu Nikamu (festival de musique autochtone) August 4-7  - Traditional and comtemporary music share the stage in Maliotenam, Québec. More info: innunikamu.ca

3. 6th Annual Prophetstown Powwow August 6-7 - Grand entry is at 1pm at this intertribal and traditional powwow in Prophetstown, Illinois. More info: prophetstownpowwow.com

4. Urban Round Dance Listening Party August 5 - Enjoy a sneak peak at Wabs Whitebird's new album Urban Round Dance. More info: facebook.com

5. Présence Autochtone: Montréal First Peoples' Festival August 2-9 - Élisapie Isaac, Samian and others perform as part of the festival's concert series on August 5th and6th. More info: nativelynx.qc.ca

6. Red Power Squad August 6 - Take a break dancing lesson with Red Power Squad at 12pm and catch their performance at 5pm at The Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC. More info: americanindian.si.edu

7. Métis Day Bo'jou Neejee August 6 - A celebration of Métis culture with music by the Métis Fiddler Quartet and Alicia Blore at Discovery Harbour, Penetanguishene, Ontario. More info: discoveryharbour.on.ca

8. Samson Cree Nation Powwow August 5-7 - With host drum Battle River and local host drum Northern Cree in Bear Park, Hobema, Alberta. More info: facebook.com

#PowwowWednesday: The Grass Dance

This week #PowwowWednesday takes a look at the Grass Dance. Largely considered intertribal, the Grass Dance is one of the most competitive forms of dancing found at powwows today.  But like many other dances, it has disputed origins.

Legend has it, from the Northern Plains, that a young man born without the full use of his legs longed to run, dance and play like the other children. He sought a Medicine Man for help and was advised to seek a vision on the prairie. There, the young man saw himself dancing like the long swaying grass. Upon returning to the village, his mother made an outfit with prairie grass and his father created a dance from his son's description. A celebration was held to share this with the village, during which time, the young man's legs were healed.

From crazycrow.com:

Yet another story tells of the grass dance coming from the movements of the early scouts seeking a site. The grass being high in new areas, the scouts would dance in a special way to flatten the grass and make it acceptable for a new camp or meeting site.

In another version of the origin of the Grass Dance is that the grass dancers were called out to the place where feasts and special events were to take place. The dancers blessed the ground while they danced in time with the beat of the drum. While the grass dancers danced, they flattened the grass with their feet in preparation for the ceremonies to take place.

Many believe that the Omaha tribe originated the dance in their warrior societies. The grass dance movements reflecting warrior movements such as stalking the game or enemy and fighting the enemy (including one movement representing one of the warrior's legs being staked and unable to move and battling with this leg in a held position).

It is widely practiced as a mens dance, but it has not always been - women have danced it on occasion. In the height of women's rights in the 1970s, women participated wearing men's regalia and reportedly 19th-century photographs document women grass dancing. Today, women will still perform it during switch dance.

From Indian Country Today, Origins of the Grass Dance:

Like other dances, balance and symmetry are essential. What the body does on one side, it must do on the other. The movements evoke the grass-trampling theory of the dance’s origins, as dancers seem to be stamping down grasses. Its evolution has led to a broader repertoire of moves: The kicks are a shade higher now, the spins a hint faster, and dancers are likelier to travel around the arena than they were even 15 years ago. Yet the dance remains unmistakably true to its roots: While Charging Eagle consistently honors his ancestors and tribe by sticking to the roots of grass dance, he also acknowledges that adding one’s own essence helps keep the dance alive. “I try to outdo myself, not the other dancers,” he says. “Grass dance is about movement, footwork, and style—the beat is medium so there are so many things you can do with your body.”

Watch some Grass Dance moves from the finals at this past weekend's Kamloopa Powwow:

Speaking of Kamloopa, this photo captures the incredible setting and beautiful weather they had:

Check out the whole Kamloopa 2011 photoset from Dwaye Rourke here.

Indigenous Live Music Picks: July 28-31

There's a lot of Indigenous music happening this weekend, from night clubs to open fields! Here's our pick of events.

1. 145th Annual Winnibego Powwow July 28-31 - The "oldest powwow in North America" (true?) takes place in Winnibego, NB. Event info: winnebagotribe.com

2. Winnipeg's Most, Joey Stylez and Rezofficial July 28 - Three of Turtle Island's heaviest hip-hop acts in one night at The Empire Ballroom Nightclub in Edmonton, AB. Event info: Winnipeg's Most, Joey Stylez, and Rezofficial live in Edmonton

3. Komasket Festival July 29-31 - Dallas Arcand, George Leech, Oka and Buffy Ste Marie are among the Indigenous artists you'll see at the 10th Annual Festival, Okanagan Lake, Vernon, BC. Event info: komasketmusicfestival.com

4. 4th Annual Crystal Shawanda Homecoming Concert July 29 - Every year, Crystal hosts a party on her property in Wikwemikong, ON, peforming at the end of the night after providing the opportunity for Aboriginal youth, fans and community members to perform. Event info: crystalshawanda.co

5. Kamloopa Powwow July 29-31 - Grand Entry at 7pm on Friday of the 32nd Annual Powwow in Kamloops, BC. Event info: tkemlups.ca

6. Discreet Da Chosen 1 July 29 - Discreet celebrates the release of his new album Magneto at Au Bar in Vancouver, BC. Event info: "Magneto" by "Discreet" C.D. Release Party!!!

7. Marc Meriläinen July 30 -  Marc kicks off The Wolves of Tuonela tour in the Wikwemikong Cultural Pavillion, Maitoulin Island, ON. Event info: myspace.com/marcmerilainen

8. DJ Crystle Lightning with Red Cloud and Hellnback July 29 -  N$C Records and 1491 Nation present this night at the Crown Pub in Edmonton, AB. Event info: DJ Crystle Lightning and Special Guests