SEARSPORT – The American Indian musical group White Owl Duo has been nominated for a 2003 Nammy Award.

The duo’s album “Bearing Witness” was nominated for a Native American Music Award under the Best Traditional Recording category. The Nammys are similar to the Grammys but focus on American Indian music. The Nammys winners will be announced on Nov. 15 at the 2003 North American Music Awards ceremony at Albuquerque, N.M.

“Bearing Witness” is one of five performances nominated for the Best Traditional Recording award. The five finalists were selected from 145 American Indian recordings produced in 2003.

White Owl Duo consists of flutist Laura Lee Perkins and drummer Ken Green. “Bearing Witness” is a collection of authentic Chippewa-Ojibwe melodies and tunes written by Perkins to reflect the beauty of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Empire, Mich., where the White Owl Duo served as artists-in-residence during the fall of 2001.

Perkins and Green live in Searsport but have been teaching and performing benefit concerts throughout the country. The duo combine their teaching and flute-making talents to offer Learn to Play classes readily accessible even to the non-music reader. They have performed at many Maine schools, colleges, university and museum settings in addition to offering recent sessions in New York, Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.

Perkins is well-known throughout Maine as a former flute instructor at Bowdoin and Bates colleges and at Mount Ararat High School. She also has taught instrumental music for the Woolwich-Bath and Lewiston schools. Her ancestry includes both Sioux and Mealiseet heritage.

Green is descended from Micmac lineage and is well-known for his expert flute craftsmanship. His flutes are sold throughout the world. His hand-made six-hole Woodland style flutes are available in 15 varieties of wood and each has hand-carved animal totem saddles on top.

Green’s drumming and unique vocal sounds accompany Perkins’ haunting, mystical playing on their recordings. Earlier recordings by the duo were 1999’s “First Light,” 2000’s “Sounds of Feelings,” and 2002’s “Heartbeat.” The recordings were produced by Klarity Productions of Vassalboro.

In addition to her recordings, Perkins is the author of the “Native American Flute Tutor” book and accompanying compact disc released in 2001. It is just one of three learn-to-play published method books for the Native American Flute.

The final voting process for the Nammy Awards will be done online by the listening public. Those interested in voting for “Bearing Witness” as Best Traditional Recording can do so at www.nammys.com.