Let the mighty eagle score: last night, Manitoban rockers Eagle & Hawk swept the 3rd annual Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards.

Of the 11 trophies handed out at the MTS Centre show (part of the 10-day Manito Ahbee festival), four went to the Juno award-winning outfit. In fact, the only category Eagle & Hawk was nominated for and didn't win was Best Single; that honour went to breakout country star Crystal Shawanda for her hit single, You Can Let Go.

OK, so it wasn't a golden night for lesser-knowns. (No surprise there: the APCMAs are 100 per cent fan-voted.) But that didn't make it a yawner. For the approximately 5,000 artists, in¬dustry and fans at the MTS Centre, and thousands more watching live on APTN, there were plenty of reasons to stay tuned to the two-hour ceremony.

For instance, there was the celebrity buzz. It started early: The night's first award, Best Folk CD, went to singer¬songwriter Little Hawk -- otherwise known as ousted Blue Bomber Troy Westwood -- for his sophomore disc, Home and Native Land. Westwood ac¬cepted his award with a call to "end all violence against our sisters."

Does a storied CFL career help draw attention to the aboriginal music scene? "I hope so," said the former kicker, who will release a new album next year. "I'll use anything I can to shine a light as bright as the sun on the issues I write songs about."

More star wattage was provided by Shawanda, who dazzled i a sequined violet frock and sky-high heels. She took the stage early, to sing her rollicking blues flavoured single My Roots Are Showing.

Then she came back three more times to pick up new mantel hardware, including one for Best New Artist.

It's been a big year for Shawanda, an Ojibwa from Wikwemikong, Ont. The 28-year-old's debut album, Dawn of a New Day, broke big in the U.S. market, hitting a respectable #16 on the Bill¬board country charts. But even though she's big in Nashville, being back in Canada for the APCMAs is special.

"I just feel like I'm coming home," said Shawanda, moments after col¬lecting her third award. "My people are why I work so hard, to make them proud of me the way they made me proud of them when I was growing up."

Alongside some comic bits from hosts Lorne Cardinal and Andrea Menard, the awards were marked by some serious moments. Manitoba Heritage Minister Eric Robinson offered a moving tribute to late First Nations leaders, including recently deceased MLA Oscar Lathlin.

But Robinson concluded the speech on a brighter note, recognizing the aborigin¬al Olympians in the audience (including four-time skier Sharon Firth) and giddily announcing that Winnipeg will host the World Indigenous Games in 2012.

Manito Ahbee wraps up this weekend with Winnipeg's biggest pow-wow (to¬day and tomorrow) and tonight's multi¬venue music fest featuring Little Hawk, Eagle & Hawk, The Johnnys, and more.

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