Local rap group Winnipeg's Most performs at the 5th annual Aboriginal Peoples Choice Awards on Friday, November 5, 2010 at MTS Centre. The group picked up an award for Best New Artist. On Thursday, they won Best Group and Best Rap/Hip Hop CD awards. (MAURICE BRUNEAU / CHRISD.CA)
Aboriginal music talent shined Friday night at MTS Centre as the 5th annual Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards were given out as part of the annual Manito Ahbee festival.
The five-day festival began on Wednesday with a number of Manitoba acts picking up awards prior to Friday’s big show.
The highlight of the festival came last night, when the televised event hosted by actor Lorne Cardinal went live on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).
Four-thousand fans were treated to performances by Jason Burnstick, Inez, Darrelyne Bickel, Winnipeg’s Most, Colette Trudeau, Asani, Samantha Crain, Sebastian Bull & Heaven Waskewich, Shane Yellowbird, Kinnie Starr, Tagaq, Lucie Idlout, Ray St. Germain, Seventh Son Fiddlers, and The Gaudry Boys.
Local band Winnipeg’s Most picked up the award for Best New Artist, while other hometown acts walked away empty handed, but not without being nominated, which is a honour in itself.
Winnipeg’s Don Amero was nominated for Best Pop CD titled “Deepening,” while a slew of Manitoba acts were all nominated in the Best Country CD category, including Darrelyne Bickel for “M.I.A.,” Desiree Dorion for “Soul Back Jack,” Jerry Sereda for “Campground Cowboy,” and Kimberley Dawn for “Built That Way.”
Don Amero was also nominated in the Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year category and Winnipeg’s Billy Joe Green in the Aboriginal Male Entertainer of the Year category.
Other winners from Friday night included:
- Best Hand Drum CD: Big River Cree | Songs From The Healing Lodge (Big River First Nation, Saskatchewan)
- Best Pop CD: Joey Stylez | The Black Star (Moosomin First Nations, Saskatchewan)
- Best Pow Wow CD (Traditional) : Thunder Mountain Singers | One Voice One Nation (James Bay, Ontario)
- Best Pow Wow CD (Contemporary): The Boyz | Boys Will Always Be Boyz (Ho-Chunk Nation, Wisconsin)
- Best Folk/Acoustic CD: Leela Gilday | Calling All Warriors (Yellowknife, North West Territory)
- Best Country CD: Shane Yellowbird | It’s About Time (Hobbema, Alberta)
- Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year: Joey Stylez | The Black Star (Moosomin First Nations, Saskatchewan)
- Aboriginal Male Entertainer of the Year: Shane Yellowbird (Hobbema, Alberta)
- Aboriginal Female Entertainer of the Year: Shy-Anne (Thunder Bay, Ontario)
Sixty countries were represented in both voting rounds, which were narrowed down to 107 submissions from 73 artists in the final round.
View the photo gallery below:
Thursday’s award winners:
- Best Producer/Engineer: Shy-Anne (Thunder Bay, Ontario)
- Best Music Video: Buffy Saint Marie | No No Keshegesh (Qu-Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan)
- Best Album Cover Design: Jason Burnstick | Where The Blood Mixes (Paul First Nation, Alberta)
- Best Aboriginal Music Countdown: National Aboriginal Music Countdown – NCI FM (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Best Blues CD: Digging Roots | We Are (Toronto, Ontario)
- Best Fiddle CD: Jacinthe Trudeau | Jacinthe Trudeau (Sudbury, Ontario)
- Best Fiddle CD: JJ Lavallee | A Fiddle Bit of This & A Fiddle Bit of That (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Best Gospel CD: Yvonne St. Germaine | My Jesus I Love Thee (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
- Best Peyote CD: Sacred Harmonies | Dakota/Lakota Traditional Church Songs (Yankton Dakota Reservation, North Dakota)
- Best Rock CD: Eagle & Hawk | The Great Unknown (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Single of the Year: Shane Yellowbird | Barefeet On The Blacktop (Hobbema, Alberta)
To see what else is happening this weekend as part of Manito Ahbee, visit ManitobaAhbee.com.
