The 14 winners of the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards were announced with rock legend Robbie Robertson receiving the lifetime achievement award. Other winners included CBC’s Dead Dog Cafe writer Tom King for literature, two physicians, an Alberta oilman, a University of Victoria legal scholar, and eight other prominent achievers from their respective Aboriginal communities.
Robertson, one of the premier songwriters of the rock era receives the Lifetime Achievement Award for being one of the most influential musicians of his era. A native of Six Nations, Ontario, Robertson’s group The Band was one of rock’s seminal acts.
The 14 individuals will receive their awards at a star-studded gala evening on Friday, March 28th at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The awards will subsequently be televised by the CBC as a national network special.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the awards that Mohawk conductor John Kim Bell created to recognize the achievements of Aboriginal professionals.
