Native American Music Awards 'Nammys'

Subject: Native American Music Awards 'Nammys'
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Aug 10 - 11:42 PM

Some pretty neat folks have won Nammys, including a Me'tis Fiddler quartet. You can hear samples HERE and that's just the Traditional page. They've got tons more in all genres.

More info on NAMA at the home page HERE. Here's a bit from that page:

Founded by a 20 plus year mainstream music industry professional, N.A.M.A. celebrates the rich cultural heritage of our nation's first people and promotes cultural preservation and renewal on a national level. Our organization is committed to preserving Native American culture and continuing the traditions through music initiatives. We aim to raise the awareness level and appreciation for the history and culture of all Native American people to the public at large, both nationally and internationally.

The Native American Music Awards was created as a method to provide Native Music its proper respect on a national level and prove that there is a viable and professional industry. It was created not as a competition, but to give Native Youth on reservations the needed inspiration and opportunities to pursue a professional career in music and to garner greater exposure.

The Native American Music Awards ceremony honors Indigenous people north and south of the US and Canadian borders. Our logo is a satellite picture of all of North America and the tip of South America, therefore we honor Indigenous artists from those territories.

NAMA began in 1998 as a grass roots initiative among industry professionals and record labels such as; Canyon, SOAR, Silverwave, Machoche', Turtle Island, Sweetgrass, Sunshine and others to prove that there was a viable music industry. We launched our Awards show with 56 annual recordings. Today we receive over 200 each year. Members from various communities and tribal radio stations served as our first Advisory Board membership.

As the first of its kind, our awards ceremony was styled from other national music awards shows. In fact we created the first written proposal for the Native category in the Grammys and were invited to do so by its Vice President. Unlike the Grammys, we do open our voting to the general public. All artists are treated with respect and fairness.

We are a music industry organization first and foremost. We are all volunteers. Our membership fees pay for the administration of our submissions, digitizing the music for the website, hosting our website, printing and mailing voting ballots and having them tabulated. Our national membership and media coverage allows us to maintain a high level of credibility as a professional music industry organization.

Without NAMA there would be no recognition of Indian music initiatives on a national and professional level. The artists and their record companies enter their music recordings to receive greater exposure and awareness. After an entire decade, we are turning a new corner to continue the growth and our ever expanding international audience.

This show was inspired by the Black Elk prophecy and a band from the Rosebud Reservation called 7th Generation. Its founder was a mainstream music industry executive with over 20 years of experience and one who was previously involved with the MTV Music Video Awards, New York Music Awards, Hands Across America and more. Before NAMA was launched, it was sparked as an inside joke, became a vision, and then a realized dream. It embraced and required the support of music industry peers and Native community members who all gave it its blessings and approval and remain involved to date.

I will spending a lot of time poking around and listening to my favs. and learning about new to me artists. Enjoy!

kat

Subject: RE: Native American Music Awards 'Nammys'
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Aug 10 - 11:56 PM

One of the biggest and most successful artists who has done a lot to bring Native American music to the forefront is Robert Mirabel. I love this particular song and performance by him: YOUTUBE video.

Subject: RE: Native American Music Awards 'Nammys'
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Sep 10 - 12:21 PM

No interest?

Subject: RE: Native American Music Awards 'Nammys'
From: Taconicus
Date: 01 Sep 10 - 12:31 PM

Are these awards open only to people who have Native American Peoples ancestry, or open to anyone who has advanced or preserved Native American Peoples music and/or culture?

Subject: RE: Native American Music Awards 'Nammys'
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Sep 10 - 12:41 PM

If you join the site for a nominal $2, you can vote as a member of the general public. I am not sure on the other, but I do see on the application for Advisory Board and/or to nominate a CD/DVD, they do ask for Tribal Membership or Affiliation.

Subject: RE: Native American Music Awards 'Nammys'
From: GUEST,Neil D
Date: 02 Sep 10 - 10:24 AM

By coincidence I spent a few hours yesterday watching Youtube videos by Native performers. Ranging from traditional chants and flute music to Blues, Rock and Hip-hop. I can make links to some of my favorites if anyone is interested, but I don't want to hijack the thread with artists who may not be relevant to the Nammy Awards. Here is one by up and coming Six Nations artist Derek Miller. Not at all traditional, but quite soulful I think.