NAMA STATEMENT AND PRAYER FOR OUR  MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

As a Lakota, we end our prayers with the phrase Mitakuye Oyas'in. It means "All My Relations" or "All My Relatives". This comes from the Lakota Creation Story. At the very moment that creation began, this phrase took on an important meaning. Everything that came into existence carried with it the essence (blood) of the Creator. Anything and Everything that came forth was related to everything else that was created before and after. We exist within Creation and cannot escape our actions, thoughts and words.

We as humans are not separate from the Creator or Creation. When the Creator completed Creation It became Creation! If we look deeply into the phrase, "All My Relatives" you and I are related to the air we breathe, the water we take for granted, the stars, all living things, every stone or pebble. This has so many implications: it implies that this Coronavirus is our relative as well. I thought about that for several days and for that reason I thought that we should address it in prayer. In Lakota the word for prayer is "wacekiya" which means to call on a relative! Then on Facebook I saw a note written by a child that was addressing the Coronavirus saying, " you are frustrating, you are taking everyone away, you are ruining our fun, you are keeping us inside and go away and leave us alone."

Often, wisdom comes from children. We are all truly One!

 Butch Artichoker (Lakota)

Prayer

CREATOR, we call upon you to give us "all" good health and help us to understand. It is speculated that this sickness came from a four legged that lives close to the source of life (water) and the standing people (trees).

The main effect is on humanity which points out that the lesson is for us, the two leggeds. We have polluted our environment; damaged the water, the air, and our Mother Earth is sick. We have relied on technology and ignored the knowledge, teachings and wisdom of indigenous peoples all over the Earth. Since we rely on all of these very things for life it has caused us to take into ourselves the same damage we have done to these relatives, we are now living with the consequences.

Help those who don't understand "mitakuye oyas'in" and bring a greater wisdom to those who lead and make decisions. This virus sees us all equally; no matter how powerful we think we are, no matter our poverty or wealth, our gender, our age, what religion we belong to or how smart we are. Watch over our generations and be kind in your judgement. Heal our minds, our spirit and our bodies. Help our children and elderly. Watch over and protect our families, friends and those who oppose us. 

Wopila tanka iciciyapelo (a big thank you from me)!

MITAKUYE OYAS'IN

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS ON RECEIVING A BEST OF MANHATTAN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION AWARD

Each year, in and around the Manhattan area, the Manhattan Awards Program chooses only the best local businesses to recognize and award. They focus on companies that have demonstrated an exemplary ability to use various marketing methods to grow their business in spite of difficult economic times. The company chosen exemplifies the best of small business; often leading through customer service and community involvement . This recognition is a result of our dedication and efforts of our organization. We have now joined  an exclusive group of small businesses throughout Manhattan.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOUNDER OF NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS & ASSOCIATION  ELLEN BELLO ON RECEIVING A SPIRIT OF FOLK AWARD

Congratulations to Native American Music Awards Founder, CEO & Executive Producer Ellen Bello, who has been awarded a Spirit of Folk Award from the International Folk Music Awards honoring her involvement in the promotion and preservation of folk music through creative work, community building, and leadership.

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IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING COVID-19 AND OUR MUSIC SUBMISSION PROCESS

Across the country, necessary steps are aggressively being taken to protect our entire poplulation from the potential exposure and spread of Coronavirus which is now a global pandemic. The NCAA, NHL, NBA, MLB, WWE, Disneyland and a plethora of other sports and entertainment institutions have been brought to a standstill amid concerns to contain the Coronavirus.  Here in New York, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio have taken necessary steps to close all public venues holding 500 people or more in response to reduce the risk of the spread of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19.  Broadway shows, concerts, sporting events have been cancelled until further notice and venues like Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theatre, Barclays in Brooklyn, and Nassau Coliseum have gone dark and will remain closed at least until March 31st.

The Native American Music Awards (NAMA) still intends to hold it’s 20th Annual Awards show in late November of 2020 at the Seneca Niagara Hotel and Casino in Niagara Falls, New York.  However, the music submission period for the 20th Annual Awards is temporarily suspended. As the Coronavirus is believed to live up to 48 hours on plastic and other materials, NAMA is attempting to lessen the need for public members to make hard CD music submissions via mail or expedited shipping and is revising their submission process to allow for more digital sending via mp3s and image uploading. Please sign up as a free E-team member on our website for the most updated information, at www.NAMALIVE.com  More information will be made available in the next several weeks regarding the NAMA submission process.

As a member of our NAMA family, I wanted to personally wish you good health. Your well-being is our priority as we join other organizations and events responding to the current global health challenge. We will send you regular updates as we navigate this evolving situation.  Like you, we are learning about COVID-19 and trying to filter the news and understand how it can impact our world, and you.  We wish all of our members good health amidst this COVID-19 outbreak. We thank you for being a part of our NAMA family.

 For more information about COVID-19, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Stay safe & healthy!

Ellen Bello

President, Native American Music Awards

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A message from elder Saginaw Grant

"This isolation is temporary for most, but for many elders what you are now experiencing is the norm. It is human nature to come together in times of crisis, but this time we are having to stay apart for the health and safety of one another. Take this opportunity to get to know yourself and what’s important. Take this time to reflect on God’s purpose for you. Check on others and let them know you care. Take a moment to find the beauty in a negative situation...spend extra time with someone and let them know they’re loved. Recognize the opportunities you have in every situation, know that your choices in a crisis define who you are, let this define you in a positive light." -

Saginaw Grant, NAMA Living Legend