ABSTRACT
When 1993 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Canada’s aboriginal musicians formed a committee to bring about greater recognition of the burgeoning growth of activity by First Nations’ musicians in the country today. The committee brought pressure on the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to institute a new category of Canada’s national music awards, the Junos, which would recognize both popular and so-called ‘traditional’ aboriginal music. As a result of their efforts, one of Canada’s best-known aboriginal musicians, Buffy SainteMarie, announced at the 1993 Juno Presentation concert that, beginning the following year, a new Juno award would be given the Best Music of Aboriginal Recording, making Canada the second country in the world, after Australia, to include this type of award in its national music industry prizes.
