Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet 2012 (PHOTOS)
Peter Jones Dead: Crowded House Drummer Dies of Brain Cancer at 45
17 of the Riskiest Moves in Music History: The Brave, Crazy and Inspirational
Loretta Lynn Three Years Older Than She Claims: Records Show She's 80, Not 77
Rihanna Twitter Pictures: See the Singer's Most Shocking Social Media Photo Shares
Casey Anthony Found In Hiding
Jay-Z Pauses Music Career, Janet Jackson Records New LP, Iggy Azalea Flaunts Booty & More
PHOTOS: Naomi Campbell's Long Hair Love Affair
George Jones in Nashville Area Hospital Undergoing Tests
Murder Suspect's DNA Allegedly Found On Missing Gir's Bag: Cops
Usher, Tameka Foster Trial: Crooner Claims Ex-Wife Attacked, Spat on Girlfriend
What Are Your Must-Visit Spooky U.S. Cemeteries?
Van Halen Cancel Summer Tour Dates
PHOTOS: Miley Goes Pantsless
David Lee Roth, Postponed Tour Dates: Van Halen 'Getting Along Famously,' Singer Insists in Video
PHOTO: Yet Another Plus-Size Model Strips Down
Police, Family Search For 22-Year-Old Louisiana College Student Who Disappeared While Bicycling
LOOK: Pictures From Sunday's Solar Eclipse
PHOTOS: 27 Swimsuit Style Icons From The '40s To Today
Texas High School Yearbooks Described Some Students As 'Mentally Retarded'
WATCH: 'Today' Host Leaves For ABC News
WATCH: Pastor Says Put Gays And Lesbians In Electrified Pen To Kill Them Off
PHOTOS: When Your Last Names Spell Disaster
'AGT': Howard Stern Accidentally Makes 7-Year-Old Rapper Cry
Columbus' Jewish Roots Examined
Bodies Of Missing Nebraska Woman And Son Found
Kristen Wiig's 15 Funniest 'SNL' Moments
The Ultimate Argument For Keeping Old Balloons
WATCH: The Main Reason Dogs Misbehave, From Victoria Stilwell
Mother Shot Children 18 Times, Examiner Says
Archi-future: 13 Green Buildings That Will Blow Your Mind (PHOTOS)
Pat Gallagher: 20 Hollywood Marriages That Have Lasted 25+ Years
'Do You Want To Pay Now?': How A Hospital Hounded A Sick Patient
Big Kenny -- his face painted yellow and red -- proudly donned a majestic native headdress with black-tipped feathers that pointed to the sun (seen here), as he was officially accepted into the Blackfoot First Nation Tribe at their annual Pow Wow last month. Colorfully adorned men, women and children of four Blackfoot Nation tribes came together to sing sacred powwow songs, recite prayers and dance for ancient spirits in a sacred ritual to make Big Kenny one of their own. At the end of the ceremony, the country rocker was anointed with his Blood name, Miistakiis Skomaatii (translation: Mountain Boy). The tribe then prayed over him for about two hours.
It was a moment the singer-songwriter and humanitarian says he'll never forget.
"This was a real important thing for [the Blackfoot Confederacy] ... and it was incredibly important to me," Big Kenny tells Canada's Calgary Herald. "I felt the camaraderie and the beauty and the love of their culture -- and I was moved by it ... I want people to see what I saw."
Hoping to bring awareness to Native tribes and spotlight the beauty of their culture, Big Kenny joined the Blackfoot Confederacy Drum Group to collaborate on their album, 'Wake Up.' He then featured the group on a self-penned song from his own album, 'The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy.' The drum group chants the title phrase 'Wake Up' on the song of the same name. (Watch the video here).
"They make music like none I've heard anywhere in my entire life. I can't tell you how emotionally moved I was the first time I heard them sing along with my song," he remembers, choking up. "That war cry is sung with such passion, you just have to pay attention ... When I'm heavy of heart, [powwow] brings forth a strength in me that I sometimes forget I have."
Download Big Kenny Songs
Big Kenny on AOL Music
