Grammy Award for Best Native American Music Album
# Grammy Award for Best Native American Music Album

The Grammy Award for Best Native American Music Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the Native American music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".

Following a three-year lobbying effort by Ellen Bello, founder of the Native American Music Awards and the Native American Music Association, the Grammy award was first presented to Tom Bee and Douglas Spotted Eagle in 2001 as the producers of the compilation album Gathering of Nations Pow Wow. Previously, Native American recordings had been placed in the folk, world or new-age music categories. While some Native American artists criticized the award category for being "too narrowly defined to accommodate the breadth of today's Indian music", others took pride in its inclusion. The name of the award remained unchanged between 2001 and 2011. According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award was presented to "vocal or instrumental Native American music albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded music", with the intent to honor recordings of a more "traditional nature".

As performing artists, Bill Miller and Mary Youngblood share the record for the most wins in this category, with two each. Thomas Wasinger holds the record for the most wins as a producer, with three. The group Black Lodge Singers holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with seven. In 2011, the category Best Native American Music Album was eliminated along with thirty others due to a major overhaul by the Recording Academy. Four additional categories in the American Roots Music field were eliminated (Best Contemporary Folk Album, Best Hawaiian Music Album, Best Traditional Folk Album, Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album). Native American works will now be eligible for the Best Regional Roots Music Album category.

## Recipients

| Year | Performing artist(s) | Work | Producer(s) | Nominees |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 2001 | Various artists | Gathering of Nations Pow Wow 1999 | Tom Bee Douglas Spotted Eagle | Black Lodge Singers – Tribute to the Elders Joseph Fire Crow – Cheyenne Nation Lakota Thunder – Veterans Songs Joanne Shenandoah – Peacemaker's Journey |
| 2002 | Johnny Mike and Verdell Primeaux | Bless the People: Harmonized Peyote Songs | Giuli Doyle Robert Doyle | Black Eagle – Life Goes On: Hand Drum and Round Dance Songs Black Lodge Singers – Weasel Tail's Dream: The Tradition Continues Northern Cree – Rockin' the Rez Various Northern Drums – Gathering of Nations 2000: Millennium Celebration, Volume 1 Young Bird – Change of Life: Oklahoma Pow-Wow Songs |
| 2003 | Mary Youngblood | Beneath the Raven Moon | Thomas Wasinger | Burning Sky – Spirit in the Wind Redheart – Sacred Season Vince Redhouse – Faith in the House Randy Wood – Round Dance the Night Away |
| 2004 | Black Eagle | Flying Free | Tom Bee | Tom Bee – Reveal His Glory Black Lodge Singers – Brotherhood R. Carlos Nakai – Sanctuary Northern Cree – Still Rezin' |
| 2005 | Bill Miller | Cedar Dream Songs | — | Black Eagle – Straight Up Northern Black Lodge Singers – Family Traditions Joanne Shenandoah – Covenant Mary Youngblood – Feed the Fire |
| 2006 | Various artists | Sacred Ground: A Tribute to Mother Earth | Jim Wilson | Black Lodge – More Kids' Pow-Wow Songs Alex E. Smith and Cheevers Toppah – Intonation: Harmonized Songs from the Southern Plains Randy Wood – Our Love Will Never Die |
| 2007 | Mary Youngblood | Dance with the Wind | Thomas Wasinger | Black Eagle – Voice of the Drum Robert "Tree" Cody and Will Clipman – Heart of the Wind Jana – American Indian Story Northern Cree and Friends – Long Winter Nights |
| 2008 | Johnny Whitehorse | Totemic Flute Chants | Larry Mitchell | Walter Ahhaitty and Friends – Oklahoma Style Black Lodge – Watch This Dancer! Davis Mitchell – The Ballad of Old Times R. Carlos Nakai, Cliff Sarde, William Eaton, and Randy Wood – Reconnections |
| 2009 | Various artists | Come to Me Great Mystery: Native American Healing Songs | Thomas Wasinger | Bryan Akipa – Songs from the Black Hills Black Lodge – Spo'Mo'Kin'Nan Northern Cree – Red Rock Kevin Yazzie – Faith |
| 2010 | Bill Miller | Spirit Wind North | Bill Miller Michael Von Muchow | Michael Brant DeMaria – Siyotanka Northern Cree – True Blue John Two-Hawks – Wind Songs: Native American Flute Solos Johnny Whitehorse – Riders of the Healing Road |
| 2011 | Various artists | 2010 Gathering of Nations Pow Wow: A Spirit's Dance | Derek Mathews Lita Mathews Melonie Mathews | Bear Creek – XI Northern Cree – Temptations: Cree Round Dance Songs Peter Phippen – Woodnotes Wyld: Historic Flute Sounds from the Dr. Richard W. Payne Collection |

Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

