ARIA Award for Best Indigenous Release
# ARIA Award for Best Indigenous Release

The ARIA Music Award for Best Indigenous Release was an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards. It was presented from 1987 through to 1998. Originally titled Best Indigenous Record in 1987. It was renamed Best Aboriginal/Islander Release in 1995. From 1996 it was Best Indigenous Release.

The award for Best Indigenous Release was first presented to Coloured Stone for their album Human Love. It was retired after the 1998 awards with Archie Roach winning the final award for his album Looking for Butter Boy. Roach won the award three times and Weddings Parties Anything, Yothu Yindi and Christine Anu each won it twice. In 1988 upon Midnight Oil's nomination for Best Indigenous Record, their manager Gary Morris objected to the group being put in that category by ARIA, "an Indigenous Award should go to an indigenous band."

## Winners and nominees

In the following table, the winner is highlighted in a separate colour, and in boldface; the nominees are those that are not highlighted or in boldface.

| Year | Winner(s) | Album title |
| - | - | - |
| 1987 (1st) |
| 1987 (1st) | Coloured Stone | Human Love |
| 1987 (1st) | Dave de Hugard | The Magpie in the Wattle |
| 1987 (1st) | John Williamson | Mallee Boy |
| 1987 (1st) | Sirocco | Voyage |
| 1987 (1st) | The Three Chord Wonders | Try Change |
| 1988 (2nd) |
| 1988 (2nd) | Gondwanaland | Gondwanaland |
| 1988 (2nd) | Australia All Over | Australia All Over |
| 1988 (2nd) | Flying Emus | This Town |
| 1988 (2nd) | Midnight Oil | Diesel and Dust |
| 1988 (2nd) | Warumpi Band | Go Bush |
| 1989 (3rd) |
| 1989 (3rd) | Weddings Parties Anything | Roaring Days |
| 1989 (3rd) | Kev Carmody | Pillars of Society |
| 1989 (3rd) | Flying Emus | "This Town" / "Darling Street" |
| 1989 (3rd) | Midnight Oil | "Dreamworld" |
| 1989 (3rd) | Dave Steel | "The Hardest Part" |
| 1990 (4th) |
| 1990 (4th) | Weddings Parties Anything | The Big Don't Argue |
| 1990 (4th) | Coloured Stone | Wild Desert Rose |
| 1990 (4th) | Gondwanaland | Wildlife |
| 1990 (4th) | Scrap Metal | Broken Down Man |
| 1990 (4th) | Yothu Yindi | Homeland Movement |
| 1991 (5th) |
| 1991 (5th) | Archie Roach | Charcoal Lane |
| 1991 (5th) | Coloured Stone | Crazy Mind |
| 1991 (5th) | Various Artists | Australia All Over Macca's No. 4 |
| 1991 (5th) | Various Artists | From the Bush |
| 1991 (5th) | Wild Pumpkins At Midnight | Little Victories |
| 1992 (6th) |
| 1992 (6th) | Yothu Yindi | Tribal Voice |
| 1992 (6th) | Archie Roach | "Down City Streets" |
| 1992 (6th) | Kev Carmody | "Eulogy (For a Black Person)" |
| 1992 (6th) | Shane Howard | "Escape from Reality" |
| 1992 (6th) | Not Drowning, Waving & The Musicians of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea featuring George Telek | Tabaran |
| 1993 (7th) |
| 1993 (7th) | Yothu Yindi | "Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming)" |
| 1993 (7th) | Kev Carmody | Street Beat |
| 1993 (7th) | Coloured Stone | Inma Juju |
| 1993 (7th) | Gondwanaland | Wide Skies |
| 1993 (7th) | Tiddas | Inside My Kitchen |
| 1994 (8th) |
| 1994 (8th) | Tiddas | Sing About Life |
| 1994 (8th) | Kev Carmody | Bloodlines |
| 1994 (8th) | Not Drowning, Waving | Circus |
| 1994 (8th) | Archie Roach | Jamu Dreaming |
| 1994 (8th) | Yothu Yindi | Freedom |
| 1995 (9th) |
| 1995 (9th) | Christine Anu | Stylin' Up |
| 1995 (9th) | Kev Carmody | "On the Wire" |
| 1995 (9th) | Ruby Hunter | Thoughts Within |
| 1995 (9th) | Tiddas | "Changing Times" |
| 1995 (9th) | Yothu Yindi & Neil Finn | "Dots on the Shells" |
| 1996 (10th) |
| 1996 (10th) | Christine Anu | "Come On" |
| 1996 (10th) | Kev Carmody | Images and Illusions |
| 1996 (10th) | Blekbala Mujik | Blekbala Mujik |
| 1996 (10th) | Various Artists | Our Home, Our Land |
| 1996 (10th) | Warumpi Band | Too Much Humbug |
| 1997 (11th) |
| 1997 (11th) | Archie Roach | Hold On Tight |
| 1997 (11th) | George Telek | Telek |
| 1997 (11th) | Tiddas | Tiddas |
| 1997 (11th) | Warumpi Band | Stompin' Ground |
| 1997 (11th) | Yothu Yindi | Birrkuta - Wild Honey |
| 1998 (12th) |
| 1998 (12th) | Archie Roach | Looking for Butter Boy |
| 1998 (12th) | Gondwana | Xenophon |
| 1998 (12th) | Singers for the Red Black and Gold | "Yil Lull" |
| 1998 (12th) | John Williamson & Warren H Williams | "Raining on the Rock" |
| 1998 (12th) | Bart Willoughby | Pathways |
