Lawrence Martin (musician) facts for kids

Lawrence Martin, also known as Wapistan, playing guitar and singing.

Lawrence Martin was born in January 1956 in Moose Factory, Ontario. He is a Canadian musician and also a politician. In his music, he uses the name Wapistan. This name comes from the Cree language and means "marten," which is a small animal.

Early Life and Music

Lawrence Martin is a member of the Moose Cree First Nation. He grew up in a small community called Moose River Crossing. In traditional Cree communities, everyone in the village helps raise the children, so the whole community felt like his family.

Discovering Music

One of his aunts, named Abba, noticed he had a special talent for music when he was very young. She bought him an acoustic guitar and taught him how to play. Once he learned just three basic chords, he started writing his own songs! He was about twelve years old at that time. When he was fourteen, he went to high school in North Bay, Ontario.

Early Career in Communications

In the 1980s, Mr. Martin worked as the executive director for the Wawatay Native Communications Society. This organization is a First Nations broadcaster in Northern Ontario. In 1989, he helped create the very first television broadcast of a pow-wow, which is a traditional gathering of Indigenous people.

A Career in Politics

Lawrence Martin has also had a successful career in politics, serving in important roles for his communities.

Mayor of Sioux Lookout

In 1991, he became the mayor of Sioux Lookout, Ontario. This was a big moment because he was the first Indigenous person in Ontario to be elected mayor of a town that was not a First Nations reserve. He served as mayor until 1994. After that, he worked for the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.

Grand Chief of Mushkegowuk Council

In 1998, Mr. Martin was elected as the grand chief of the Mushkegowuk Council. He held this position until 2001. During this time, he also ran to become the leader of the Assembly of First Nations in 2000, but he was not chosen for that role.

Mayor of Cochrane

Later, he moved to Cochrane, Ontario. There, he became the executive director of the local Native Friendship Centre. In 2003, he was elected mayor of Cochrane. This made him one of the few Canadian politicians to have been mayor of two different towns! He served as mayor of Cochrane until 2010.

In 2014, he was elected to serve a second term as grand chief of the Mushkegowuk Council. This happened in a special election after the previous chief, Stan Louttit, passed away.

Musical Achievements

Lawrence Martin is also well-known for his music. He has won awards and performed for many audiences.

Juno Award Winner

At the Juno Awards of 1994, Lawrence Martin made history. He won the first-ever Juno Award for Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording for his album called Wapistan Is Lawrence Martin.

He was nominated for the same award two more times:

• In 1996, for his album Message.
• In 2003, for The Right Combination, an album he recorded with Vern Cheechoo.

Other Musical Work

In 2006, Lawrence Martin and Andrea Menard were the hosts of the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards. His song "I Got My Music" is also featured on a 2014 music collection called Native North America, Vol. 1.

Discography

• Wapistan Is Lawrence Martin (1993)
• Message (1995)
• The Right Combination (2002)
• Dancing for Life (2009)
• Train of Life (2014)