Northern entertainers take home APCM awards

Numerous awards were handed out to northwestern Ontario Aboriginal community members, including The Whitefish Bay Singers, during the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards in Winnipeg, Man., Nov. 5 and 6.

November 12, 2009: Volume 36 #23, Page A11

The drum group from Naotkamegwanning First Nation won the best contemporary powwow CD. It’s their second win.

Group member Randy White said there are 17 members in the drum group.

For many of the youth members, White said drumming is an opportunity to learn their culture.

“I think drumming is like a stepping stone to the culture, so a lot of young guys, a lot of young people that go into drumming will always go into culture,” he said. “So the drum is kind of like a stepping stone to something larger. It invites them to start language as an example of culture.”

The Whitefish Bay Singers drum group won the Best Powwow CD – Contemporary category at the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Awards in Winnipeg, Man., Nov. 6
-Debbie Mishibinijima - Wawatay News

The large group finds that it is pretty easy to get together for practice or to record a new CD. One member will tell another “we are going to record, pass it on.”

“We are all close in terms of relationships. We have all sang together for a long time.”

The group consists of six brothers, the youngest being 18, as well as several cousins.

“It’s more like a family type of drum group. It’s easy to just call everybody together. We live so close to each other geographically,” White said.

The drum group has recorded 17 CD’s to date and have plans to continue recording more.

“We get moved by the spirit. If we want to do something, we will do it,” White said.

Other winners from northwestern Ontario include Billy Joe Green who won the best blues CD for his album First Law of the Land – If Broken Return to Maker.

Brown Eagle and Red Bull won the best traditional powwow CD.

The singers and drummers come from the First Nations of Shoal Lake, Whitedog and Whitesand.

The best rap or hip-hop award was given to Wab Kinew, a member of Onigaming.

This year’s awards had a total of 34,978 votes cast, up 117 per cent from last year.