Miles Morrisseau
ICT
Indigenous artists continue to stand out at the Juno Awards, with four performers shining at Canada’s annual celebration of the best in music.
Aysanabee took home two awards at an awards ceremony on Saturday, March 28, and artists Morgan Toney and Bear Creek collected their first trophies. William Prince shared the stage with the legendary Joni Mitchell during the ceremony broadcast on Sunday, March 29.
The Juno Awards are a nearly week-long celebration, and many of the Indigenous nominees who did not receive awards performed at various venues across the host city of Hamilton, Ontario. There was also an Indigenous honoring ceremony on Saturday, March 28, among the activities, that included performances by artists Siibii, Allied Nations, Little Creek Singers and YB Nakota.
The band Bear Creek pose for photos after winning Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year during the 2026 Juno Awards Gala in Hamilton, Ontario, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Credit: Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP
In receiving his award for Alternative Album of the Year, Aysanabee, Sandy Lake First Nation, encouraged all the artists to continue making music and sharing their stories.
“To all the nominees, the first-time nominees who this is your first time here, maybe you won maybe you didn’t, stings a little bit when you don’t; my first time I didn’t get it,” he said.
“But I think now more than ever, your stories matter, your songs matter. Your stories and your songs humanize us and we’re afraid of things that we don’t understand,” he said. “So miigwech, thank you so much for what you do. We need your stories. We need your songs and your voices more than ever.”
Aysanabee was also the winner for Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year. He was nominated along with Sebastian Gaskin for “LoveChild”; Shawnee Kish for “Chapter 1”; Siibii for the self-titled album, “Siibii”; and Tia Wood for “Sage my Soul.”
In accepting that award, Aysanabee promised that he would no longer apply for awards in the Indigenous category to make space for other artists.
“The last thing my grandfather told me, ‘Do the things that you say you’re going to do, and then I’ve been applying for this award,’” he said. “I never won it, Contemporary Indigenous, and I said, ‘If I ever got this one, I would never apply for it again to make space.’ So maybe you won’t see me for a minute but I will still be coming for the White people awards.”
Aysanabee, was nominated for his latest release, “Edge of the Earth.”
Morgan Toney, Mi’kmaq, took home the award for Traditional Roots Album of the Year. Toney is out on tour and could not be at the event to accept his award. He posted to Facebook soon after winning.
“WE DID IT, OMG ❤️,” he posted. “I want to thank my Beautiful loving supportive wife Moriah for encouraging these past few years! Ishkode Records, Uncle Bart, SMG, our incredible band (Ryan, Keith, Ed, Greg), Wagmatcook First Nation, We’koqma’q First Nation, and everyone who is a part of the Morgan Toney team!”
He also acknowledged his fellow nominees, including those from the Atlantic provinces.
“Congratulations to everyone who was nominated for Traditional Roots Album of the Year at the JUNOs, especially our amazing East Coast Artists,” he said.
Toney was nominated for his release “Heal the Divide.”
Bear Creek, comprised of members from various First Nations, took home the award for Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year. The powwow drum was nominated along with Bad Eagle for “Battle At The Beach”; Manitou Mkwa Singer for “Me & You”; Piunguataq for “Arnirniliit Suli”; and YB Nakota for “Nakota Tayhunyabi.”
“We want to thank our record (label) Hidden Lake and Steve Arrowtopknot for trusting in us to record us,” said Bear Creek lead singer Joe Syrette. “We come from different places. Long time ago, we were all little boys, little girls that were looking up to heroes, different singers that we admired for what they did. So here we’ve been together since 1998, this is the first time that we’ve got something like this so we want to send this award to all of the Indigenous kids, young people, if you believe in our ways this is what can happen so chi-miigwetch.”
Bear Creek was nominated for their release, “On The Move.”
Two-time Juno Award-winner William Prince, Peguis First Nation, performed during the program, singing “For the First Time” from his release “Further from the Country.”
Prince was also on stage with many other notable artists, including Sarah Mclachlan and Allison Russell for a performance of “Big Yellow Taxi,” by Joni Mitchell, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Mitchell sang a few lines as well and was introduced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Other highlights from the night include the induction of Nelly Furtado into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame with performances of some of her greatest hits by artists including Inuk singer Tanya Tagaq.
Furtado accepted her award with the shout out, “Who else loves living on Turtle Island?”
The full show is available on Youtube and can be streamed on CBC Gem.
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