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Juno Award for Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year facts for kids

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Tanya Tagaq at Interstellar Rodeo, 2015
Singer Tanya Tagaq was the 2015 recipient of the award for her album Animism.

The Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the best album by an Indigenous Canadian artist or band. It was formerly known as Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording (1994–2002), Aboriginal Recording of the Year (2003–2009), and Aboriginal Album of the Year (2010–2016). Indigenous artists are not excluded from consideration in other genre or general interest categories; in fact, some indigenous musicians, most notably The Halluci Nation, have actively chosen not to submit their music in the indigenous category at all, instead pursuing nomination only in the more general categories.

The award faced controversy in its inaugural year, after nominee Sazacha Red Sky was falsely accused of cultural appropriation. According to the surviving children of Chief Dan George, the writer of the song she had been nominated for, she was not personally a member of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation and according to the George family did not have the right to record it under their cultural traditions.The Prayer Song is registered in the Public Domain and as Grsnd Chief John K Slaholt told Sazacha Red Sky is not a George family song. Red Sky’s adoptive brother the late Leonard George did not seek any legal proceedings against his adoptive sister. (Moose Jaw Today) Had the issue escalated Grand Chief Slaholt prepared legal documents stating the song Red Sky recorded was neither a personal or family song of the George/Slaholt people. and a final compromise revising Red Sky's nomination to reflect the album instead of the song was announced on the morning of the ceremony.

More recently, some indigenous artists have called for the category to be discontinued, on the grounds that a dedicated indigenous category "ghettoizes" their music as a niche interest not relevant to non-indigenous music fans, while others have defended it as a platform for increasing the visibility of indigenous music, arguing that even though indigenous artists are eligible in all Juno award categories, relatively few indigenous artists actually receive such nominations due to their lack of mainstream prominence and the much wider range of competition for nomination slots.

In late 2019, the Junos announced plans to rename the category as Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year for the 2020 ceremony. While the category would still honour particular albums, the organization said the decision was made to address questions they received from Indigenous artists "who believe they're submitting to a category meant to shine a spotlight on the accomplishments of Indigenous people." The Junos suggested the change would likely "eliminate a lot of the confusion and put us in a better position to explain the need for the category, when challenged."

At the Juno Awards of 2021, it was announced further changes were being made for the Juno Awards of 2022, splitting the category into two new categories for Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year and Traditional Indigenous Artist of the Year.

Winners

Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording (1994–2002)

Year Winner(s) Album Nominees Ref.
1994 Wapistan Wapistan Is Lawrence Martin
1995 Susan Aglukark Arctic Rose
1996 Jerry Alfred and the Medicine Beat ETSI Shon "Grandfather Song"
1997 Buffy Sainte-Marie Up Where We Belong
  • Freedom – Chester Knight and the Wind
  • Innu TownClaude McKenzie
  • Go Back – Jerry Alfred and the Medicine Beat
  • TudjaatTudjaat
1998 Mishi Donovan The Spirit Within
  • Little Island Cree - World Hand Drum Champions – Little Island Cree with Clayton Chief
  • Necessary – No Reservations
  • That Side of the WindowTom Jackson
  • Walk Away – Fara Palmer
1999 Robbie Robertson Contact from the Underworld of Redboy
2000 Chester Knight and the Wind Falling Down
  • Love that Strong – Elizabeth Hill
  • To Bring Back Yesterday – Fara Palmer
  • Touch the Earth and SkyVern Cheechoo
  • World Hand Drum Champions '98 – Red Bull
2001 Florent Vollant Nipaiamianan
2002 Eagle & Hawk On and On
  • Crazy MakerMarcel Gagnon
  • Dark Realm – Nakoda Lodge
  • My Ojibway Experience: Strength & HopeBilly Joe Green
  • Riel's Road – Sandy Scofield

Aboriginal Recording of the Year (2003–2009)

Year Winner(s) Album Nominees Ref.
2003 Derek Miller Lovesick Blues
2004 Susan Aglukark Big Feeling
2005 Taima Taima
2006 Burnt Project 1 Hometown
2007 Leela Gilday Sedzé
2008 Derek Miller The Dirty Looks
  • Home and Native LandLittle Hawk
  • Nikawiy Askiy – Sandy Scofield
  • Phoenix – Fara Palmer
  • What It Takes – Donny Parenteau
2009 Buffy Sainte-Marie Running for the Drum

Aboriginal Album of the Year (2010–2016)

Year Winner(s) Album Nominees Ref.
2010 Digging Roots We Are...
2011 CerAmony CerAmony
2012 Murray Porter Songs Lived and Life Played
2013 Crystal Shawanda Just Like You
  • Heart on My Sleeve – Don Amero
  • The Black ListBurnt Project 1
  • Samples – Janet Panic
  • Bring It On – Donny Parenteau
2014 George Leach Surrender
  • Keep a FireAmanda Rheaume
  • Small Town Stories – Desiree Dorion
  • Burn Me DownInez Jasper
  • Road Renditions – Nathan Cunningham
2015 Tanya Tagaq Animism
2016 Buffy Sainte-Marie Power in the Blood

Indigenous Music Album of the Year (2017–2021)

Year Winner(s) Album Nominees Ref.
2017 Quantum Tangle Tiny Hands
2018 Buffy Sainte-Marie Medicine Songs
2019 Jeremy Dutcher Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa
2020 Celeigh Cardinal Stories from a Downtown Apartment
2021 Leela Gilday North Star Calling

See also

  • Aboriginal music of Canada
  • Aboriginal Canadian personalities
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