Looking back at 30 years of Indigenous music awards at the Junos

In 1994, an Indigenous category was finally added to the Juno Awards. Thanks to advocates working in the entertainment industry like Elaine Bomberry and Curtis Johnnie, the category of "Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of The Year" was added to the roster.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of that decision. 

A lot has changed since then, including how nominees are selected. The category was renamed in 2019 to "Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year" and further split up into "Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year" and "Traditional Indigenous Artist of the Year" in 2021.

Indigenous artists Alan Greyeyes, Tristan Grant and Susan Blight join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to look at the legacy of the Indigenous categories at the Junos and the contentious history around who gets to claim Indigeneity as musicians.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow the Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud podcast on your favourite podcast player.

LISTEN | Today's episode on YouTube:

Elamin: This is the 30th anniversary of the first indigenous category that was added to the Junos, and 30 years since Wapistan won for his 1993 album Wapistan Is Lawrence Martin. Alan, how big of a moment was it when this happened? 

Alan: I have to say, I was only 14 at the time. But representation in mainstream media is extremely important. I'm a believer that every stage gives us an opportunity to show Canadians that Indigenous people are just as special and have just as many possibilities as their loved ones. For me, it was incredible to see us in a different light. Up until that point, all I really saw was us as the protestors or the criminal or the politician. And so to see that we have opportunities on stage as well was pretty important for me. 

Elamin: You've been a part of the Junos indigenous category committee. In the past, what would you say has been the Junos biggest blind spot when it comes to valuing the contributions of Indigenous musicians and understanding their place in music?  

Alan: I don't think it's a blind spot just for the Junos. It's a blind spot for the Canadian music industry in general. And that's the treating of Indigenous people as just another equity deserving group in Canada.

Elamin: Susan, for you, how would you describe your relationship with the Junos as it relates to how they thought about Indigenous artists in the past? 

Susan: On the one hand, I think as a visual artist, art and music and Indigenous music always go together. And a lot of these musicians that we're talking about are already artists. I was the host of a radio show called Indigenous Waves for many years and got to be a Juno juror as well. So to me, it's an introduction to artists that you haven't heard, and there's just been so many memorable moments at the award show itself. 

Elamin: Alan, there have been changes in recent years in terms of identifying who's eligible to be nominated within the Junos Indigenous categories. Those changes are tied to, let's say, long standing tensions around who gets to claim Indigenous identity as a musician. What were those most recent changes? 

Alan: I think it was really important to move it from a genre category to a category that recognises Indigenous people in music. And so up until this point, a lot of the confusion was around non-Indigenous people submitting albums that fit the genre category and being recognised within our community.

Elamin: Tristan, what do you make of those changes? 

Tristan: I do like the fact that you have to sort of have these community references and ties because there's been a large conversation about people that claim to be Indigenous and maybe they aren't, or maybe they have many vague backgrounds to them.

Elamin: It's important to note that these tensions are not new. They go back to 1994, actually, when the Junos first started including Indigenous categories in these awards. Alan, there was a big controversy that year. You know all about this controversy. What happened in 94? 

Alan: What I can recall is that Nancy Nash was nominated in the category because she had music that fit the genre criteria. And again, not being an indigenous person, I believe she said that she was adopted into the George family. 

A lot of the confusion and controversy within the identity debate comes from these alleged adoptions. And so, for me personally, I believe an adoption comes with a set of responsibilities to that family and not a set of entitlements. And I think too often, these people believe that they're entitled to whatever opportunities are meant to level the playing field for Indigenous people in Canada. 

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Ty Callender & Shannah Williamson