"The music of the Indian is the spontaneous and sincere expression of the soul of a people. It springs from our own continent, and is thus, of all music, distinctly American.  If Indian song be encouraged with Indian, and recognition of it awakened among our own people, America may one day contribute a unique music to the world of art." - Natalie Curtis, Musicologist

"...a charm of spontaneity that cannot fail to please those who would come near to nature and enjoy the expression of emotion untrammeled by the intellectual control of schools." - Alice Fletcher, Anthropologist

"The Circle has healing power. In the Circle we are all equal. When in the Circle, no one is in front of you. No one is behind you. No one is above you. No one is below you. The Sacred Circle is designed to create unity. The Hoop of Life is also a circle. On this hoop there is a place for every species, every race, every tree, and every plant. It is this completeness of Life that must be respected in order to bring about health on this planet. To understand each other, as the ripples when a stone is tossed in the waters, the Circle starts small and grows...until it fills the whole lake."
- Dave Chief, Oglala Lakota, Grandson of Red Dog/Crazy Horse's band

MUSIC ARCHIVES

NATIONAL MUSIC ARCHIVES BY ARTIST (click on link) 
files/NAMA_ARCHIVES_BY_ARTIST.pdf

NATIONAL MUSIC ARCHIVES BY RECORDING TITLE
files/NAMA_ARCHIVES_BY_RECORDING_TITLE.pdf

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Ellen Bello, Donald Kelly, Kae Kotarski, Andy Anderson, Kim Acosta, Rose Fernandez, James Bordeaux, Charles Sanders, Felipe Rose, Mary Lou Gabbard, Leon Thompson, Kelvin Frank,

The Native American Music Association was established in 1998 as a 501(c)(3) following the debut of the Native American Music Awards in order to directly assist Native American musicians and educate the general public.  Two major on-going programs of the Association are;  1) Establishing and maintaining the world's largest Native American music archive, 2) Creating greater performance opportunities for award-winning and nominated artists.  

Over the past ten years, members of this all-volunteer Association have celebrated and shared many successes.  We have received letters of acknowledgement from President George Bush and a proclamation from Mayor Bloomberg. Our national music archive (listed below as PDF files) has become the world's largest Native American music archive.  

We house over 7000 Native American audio and video recordings in all formats (cassette, vhs, cd, beta, dvd) that our Founder, Ellen Bello has been collecting for over 20 years.  Our music library archives are listed below.

As part of our annual monitoring and research of Native American music recordings, we successfully proposed a new category for Native American music in the Grammies in 2000 at the request of their Vice President, Diane Theriot. We have trained Native American youth in concert events and productions; helped MTV Networks establish a cultural diversity program to recruit Native American employees, educate and entertain employees of parent company, Viacom, placed artists such as Robert Mirabal and Gil Silverbird in collaborations with mainstream artists such as John Tesh; returned a lost song of the late Apache leader, Geronimo, back to his family, and continue to present special music concerts and festivals from Alaska to New York City and in between.

AT THE HEART OF AMERICA

The Native American Music Association, a 501(c)(3) organization preserves and promotes the rich oral history of Native America. Used in all aspects of life, music and song marked every public event and private occasion in American Indian life. Historical information, lineage, stories and tales were passed from generation to generation through song. But traditional Native American music is becoming lost forever. For the true generations that can preserve the stories and the songs, they are the oldest – the elders – who comprise a population that is steadily dwindling. Today, there are only 187,000 Native Elders remaining in our country, 7% of the total American Indian and Alaska Native population nationwide. With the loss of elders also comes the loss of language, cultural traditions and an important part of our own history, the oral history of the First Americans. Native Americans also suffer twice the proportions of unemployment, poverty, and alcohol related deaths than the national average. Native youth face immense pressures, challenges and limited opportunities.

CULTURAL TRADITIONS

With it’s roots firmly planted in traditions hundreds of years old, music and song were, and still are, an integral part of Native American life. Without a written language, care was taken to transmit songs accurately, from generation to generation. As part of this nation’s folklife, the early fieldwork of scholars, anthropologists, and ethnomusicologists proved that traditional music was just as emotional, complex and cultivated as any other modern art form. The drum is considered the heartbeat of all that is. Other natural instruments such as; Rattle, Whistle, Cowhorn, Flute, and Bells, whether given by the “Creator” or made by skilled craftsman, facilitated a symbolism of sound and image and an interaction and relationship to all parts of the living world. As Native American music evolves, artists compensate their lost nature world using European-influenced and electric recreating earth sounds. Like the tradition keepers of ancient times, today’s musicians still can offer their communities the capacity for cultural renewal and tribal enrichment.

The arts are rich and inexhaustible resources which help our young people learn and grow in healthy ways. Music is one of the most important forms of self-expression which can help young people cope with difficult feelings. Through new music initiatives, Native youth are building resiliency, increasing their ability to express their emotions, and learning to manage their feelings in healthy ways. Together the Association & Awards continues to provide the needed hope and assistance for these individuals to become great catalysts for change.

Preserving the history and heritage of Native American for all of America, our arts and education programs include; 1) Creating the nation’s largest audio and video music archive, 2) Providing Native youth living on reservations with the needed tools & resources to embrace their future with professional training, educational scholarships, and employment opportunities, 3) Hosting informational seminars and learning workshops for today’s promising artists, and 4) Presenting special performances, festivals and arts showcases for the general public and other charitable organizations.

GIVING BACK

As a result of our efforts, Native perspectives and values are being reaffirmed and Native American music is providing the greatest capacity for community renewal and cultural enrichment for all populations. For almost a decade, we have co-presented the Annual Native American Music Awards, which has been featured in; USA Today, Associated Press, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal. Honorees have ranged from national celebrities who have humbly come home such as; Crystal Gayle, Rita Coolidge, Robbie Robertson and Kitty Wells to leading artists from Indian Country like; R. Carlos Nakai, Joanne Shenandoah, Bill Miller, Brule’ and hundreds more. We continue to monitor and research Native American music. We’ve provided over 50 Native American high school and college students from various tribal reservations across the country with hands-on professional training in live event production and awarded over $5,000 in educational scholarships. With the Harry Fox Agency, ASCAP, and AFTRA, we presented a series of professional music industry workshops and seminars for Native American artisans, and assisted MTV Networks in establishing a cultural diversity program to employ Native youth. In New York City, produce an annual Native American Music show for sick children and their families at the Ronald McDonald House. Using modern technology and the internet, the nation’s largest Native American music archive containing over 3,500 hours of audio and video recordings is now posted on our website for all to experience. Visitors from around the world including Germany, Japan, Italy, and Australia continue to send us their comments and support.

This year commemorates the Native American Music Association’s Tenth Anniversary. Our main objective is to provide increased performance opportunities for our some of today’s finest artists at venues across the country.

CULTURAL RESTORATION

Originally inspired by a young Lakota musical group called 7th Generation from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota,  the Native American Music Association continues to assist the many talented artists in need of resources to retain and share their art and culture with others. As the Association focuses its efforts both on reservations and in major cities, we are enabling artists to preserve and restore their own history and heritage. These initiatives resist simple categorization and reflect various musical styles and cultural traditions. Like all of America today, they are continually growing more diverse. But our diversity is our strength, and is enriching our local communities as well as our entire nation. Our future depends on finding continued support to reach all of the world’s diverse people so that we may live and work together in greater harmony and respect.   

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