Iroquois are a people given to music. We have songs to celebrate the arrival of newborns, songs for plantings and songs which mark the light of the moon. We believe the universe does its own cosmic dance and there is a song for every living thing.

As a young girl living on the Oneida Iroquois Territory in central New York, I was surrounded by music. Whether at the longhouse, where our community gathered for social dances, or listening to my mother and father singing songs by Billie Holiday, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline, I was deeply impressed with music's infinite uses as a primary means of expression.

Music was commonplace in my family-singing was as natural to me as breathing. My dad, an exceptional guitarist, held a deep affection for jazz and early rock 'n' roll. My native name is Tekali:wha: kwa ("She Sings"); it was given to me as a young girl. As a teenager, I attended a school where I tried playing every musical instrument, including the cello, piano, clarinet and flute. I spent hours after school honing my skills on the piano while learning to read and write music. But my primary talent has always been singing and composing original pieces.

Not many prominent Native performers made a living playing music in my elementary school days of the '70s. There was Rita Coolidge, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Floyd Westerman, Paul Ortega, Jim Pepper and the rock groups Redbone and XIT. Their powerful recordings gave voice to the struggles of Native nations to preserve our culture and aboriginal rights during a time of social upheaval. They represented our causes on a broad international front. At any given assembly of Native people, whether powwow or protest, one heard these brave artists, through music, tell the world the original peoples were very much alive. Hearing those songs gave me a deep sense of pride, and similar themes would later be included in my own compositions.

Red Bow, Westerman, Ortega and comedian Charlie Hill were my first professional mentors. Traveling with and learning from these remarkable artists was critical to my decision to become a full time performer. I believe a strong mentoring system is essential to aboriginal artists considering music as a career. I also saw the necessity of developing strong work habits, a common characteristic in every successful Native musician.

Younger performers today reap the benefits of the groundbreaking work of Native artists and record companies such as Canyon, Silver Wave, Fourwinds Trading Co. and SOAR. Through their efforts, we have come to enjoy the current explosion in Native music's popularity exemplified by the Native American Music Awards (NAMMYS) and the recent decision by the National Academy of the Recording Arts and Sciences to create a GRAMMY category for Best Native recording. NAMMYS founder Ellen Bello successfully battled preconceptions in her determination to have our music taken seriously.

Now is, without a doubt, the best time to be a Native musician. Our music is increasing in popularity; hence a growing number of venues in which to perform. Our music is heard not only at large Native gatherings, but also in concert halls, on "Powwow Cruises" and at music festivals. Fantastically gifted musicians such as Bill Miller, Mary Youngblood, Andrew Vasquez, Tree Cody, Walela, Primeau and Mike, Indigenous and many others are setting the industry ablaze. Our music is healing, eternal, earth conscious.

Our songs celebrate our survival and have a deep spiritual essence which will resonate around a world which needs Native music, our music.

Joanne Shenandoah is a member of the Wolf Clan, Oneida Nation, Haudenosaunee (Six Nations Iroquois) Confederacy. A multiple NAMMY award winner, she is also a nominee for the first ever GRAMMY Award for Best Native Recording. She resides on Oneida Territory in central New York State. You may contact her at www.joanneshenandoah.com