Sacred Ground Wins Grammy for Best Native American Music Album

Sacred Ground – A Tribute to Mother Earth took home the Grammy for Best Native
American Music Album at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards show tonight. This is the
first win for executive-producer Lisa Thomas and Katahdin Productions, which
released the CD on September 13, 2005. It was distributed through Silverwave
Records.

The album drew accolades for its mix of electronic grooves and traditional
styles and was quickly praised as one of the coolest collections of contemporary
Native music to be released in years. The compilation album features some of the
most well-known and renowned Native American artists working today, including;
2005 Grammy winner Bill Miller, two time Grammy nominee
Joanne
Shenandoah, and Grammy WinnersVerdell
Primeaux & Johnny Mike, best selling artists
Robert
Mirabal and Walela (Rita Coolidge, Priscilla Coolidge, and Laura
Satterfield) and highly acclaimed artist Star Nayea.
Shenandoah, who performed in a Tribute to Joni Mitchell at Carnegie Hall
last week, was previously nominated for a Grammy for her solo work and has
co-written and recorded with Neil Young. In fact, Young penned the final track
on

Sacred Ground, “Mother Earth,” which was also used in the award-winning
documentary Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action. Both

Shenandoah and Walela perform on the track.

The entire album was conceived as a companion to the acclaimed documentary,
which recently aired on PBS stations across the country, as well as a positive
call to action to save the environment. Homeland takes an in-depth look at the
environmental hazards threatening Native American reservations and is one of
many socially-conscious entertainment projects released by the Katahdin
Foundation, a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation based in Berkeley, CA and
led by Thomas, who is the Co-Founder/Former CEO of Clif Bar.

Katahdin has a number of new projects in development, including a documentary on
photographer Dorothea Lange and Indian Country, a four-part series that will
follow the history of Native Americans from the turbulent years following the
Wounded Knee massacre through today.

For more information on Lisa Thomas, Katahdin Productions, or The Katahdin
Foundation, log onto www.katahdin.org.